By STEVEN VIERA
Staff Writer
RED BANK — To the cheers of a packed gallery, the borough’s Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a request that would enable the reconstruction of a historic home that once belonged to a visionary African-American journalist and activist.
Developer Roger Mumford secured the Zoning Board’s approval at its July 21 meeting for his proposed Fortune Square complex, located at 94 Drs. James Parker Blvd., which would include the renovation of the home of T. Thomas Fortune and the construction of a four-story apartment building on the property.
Born into slavery in Florida in 1856, T. Thomas Fortune rose to prominence as the editor of a nationally renowned newspaper, The New York Age, according to Gilda Rogers, co-chair of the T. Thomas Fortune Project Committee.
“He used that newspaper as a platform to speak out on social justice for African-American people,” she said.
Beyond his influential journalism, Fortune is remembered for coining the term “Afro-American” as well as founding the National Afro-American League, a forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
In 1901, Fortune moved to Red Bank and remained in his home, called Maple Hall, until 1910. The home was later purchased by its current owners, the Vaccarelli family, in 1918. Today, despite a place on the National Register of Historic Places and its status as only one of two sites in New Jersey remembered for its significance to African-American history, the house is falling apart, and the Vaccarellis even sought to demolish it at one time.
“This home needs to be completely reconstructed,” Mumford said.
During his presentation to the board, he noted that the house suffers from a crumbling roof, buckling floors, rot, extensive water damage, mold, asbestos and animal residents.
In order to save the house, Mumford —an admirer of history —is in the process of obtaining a contract to acquire the property from the Vaccarelli family, at which time he will embark on the $2.5 million project of renovating Fortune’s Second-Empire-style home in a historically accurate manner.
Mumford also plans to split the acre of land the home currently rests on into two lots. When renovations are complete, he will transfer the deed for the lot containing the Fortune home to the T. Thomas Fortune Project Committee for $1 for use as a cultural center and retain the remaining lot for himself, where he plans to construct a 31-unit apartment building.
This strategy will allow Mumford to finance the reconstruction of the Fortune home while still taking on an economically viable project, he explained.
According to architect Thomas Bremman, the proposed apartment building would include either 31 market-rate units and a gym or 28 market-rate units, three affordable units and a gym. Mumford said that he would consult with Red Bank’s special counsel before deciding whether or not the building would include affordable units.
In spite of a few detractors, the majority of public comments supported Mumford’s plan.
“We have precious little [African-American history] to look to and precious little to point to, and I think when an opportunity like this comes up, it behooves us to do as much as we can to make sure that this is not a legacy that is also lost,” resident Birgit Mondesir said.
Monmouth University Professor of History Walter Greason, who studies efforts to preserve historical sites around the country and the world, told members of the Zoning Board they occupied “a global stage” because Mumford’s model could represent a new, innovative way for developers and preservationists in dozens of countries to save their historic landmarks.
“There are only a handful of these kinds of historic sites in New Jersey, and without strong community activism and real investment from zoning boards and city councils, in partnership with the great business leaders of the state, we will lose all of them,” he said.
In the end, all members of the board voted in favor of Mumford’s proposal.
Rogers, who felt “overjoyed” at the approval, described the potential programming of the cultural center.
“It’s going to be specific to education,” she said. “We want to be an advocate for the Amistad legislation so that African-American history can come to the forefront and not be treated as a sidebar, as it has been, historically, and I think that lends to us having a better understanding for all cultures [and] all people.”
According to Mumford, construction on both the cultural center and apartment building will take approximately 12-14 months. He hopes to break ground in late autumn.
“It’s a huge bet when you do something like this, and I was all in,” he said.
