February - March 2003 Edition

Fair Lawn's First School is Looking Shabby   Behind the peeling paint and industrial surroundings, lies one of Fair Lawn's most gracious buildings -- the Washington School. Inside, if you ignore the old office space with drop ceilings, you can imagine children writing with their chalk on slates. The Washington School (later known as the Bergen Avenue School) was the pride of Fair Lawn when it opened 150 years ago. Now the forlorn building houses the Board of Education's Maintenance Department and the school district's print shop. What was once grass and play space is now used to store buses and gasoline tanks. According to Borough Historian, Jane Diepeveen, the land was given to the Saddle River Township by David D. Acker from part of his "Fair Lawn" estate. The deed provided that the land must always be used for educational purposes. Diepeveen told Fair Lawn News that the building was used as a school as late as the 1940's. It was then used for Board of Education offices, and then for the school printing plant. "The architecture is quite distinctive, lots of great gingerbread. In architecture school we called it Carpenter Gothic since the designs recalled the stone tracery around Gothic period windows." She said "Bergen County considers it eligible for State Historic Register Status because of its example of what they call Victorian Architecture in the Chalet style." A 1982 Bergen County Historic Survey called the school "one of the area's major historic sites."   Diepeveen said "I think it is shameful that the Board of Education has let it get into such poor condition and surrounded it with such junk." Recently, Fair Lawn News has heard numerous complaints about the state of the building. A Raymond Street resident said that "a beautiful and historic building in a school district that is so short of space ought to be used for educational purposes as fitting its history rather than being treated as a shack with a parking lot. The storage of propane and fuel on the site has the immediate neighbors upset. This does not belong in the middle of a residential neighborhood, especially in a town where the Board of Education owns a lot of property that is more isolated. Marie Scelzo of 4th Street sarcastically thanked the town for the trailers on the property and the wonderful humming sound coming from the pumps. She said "we live with the fear that anytime, any person, working there or passing there can light a match and destroy all our homes". She also expressed concern about the "large trucks that are coming down these streets from Fair Lawn Avenue and River Road that are dangerous to children and adults." James Cosentino a Bergen Avenue resident, says that "with the generator running he cannot open his windows, the lights shine into his windows, and the buses warm up for long periods of time". Joe Marrone of Legion Place is concerned about the fumes from the generator and the liquid that leaks into the ground soil. He said that not more than twenty feet away from his property are aging vehicles that leak. Fair Lawn architect, Larry Koplik told Fair Lawn News that "it is a shame that is used as a bus facility. It would be nice if they could use it as a museum or a public facility. We need to be careful and preserve our town's history. The building has a certain charm with all its Victorian details and its proximity to Fair Lawn's main street (River Road)." Borough Historian, Jane Diepeveen, told Fair Lawn News "I wish one room of the building could be restored and used as a school museum. That would be educational. The other two rooms could still be used for storage. I think the residential neighborhood would be much improved if the grounds were returned to their original park-like condition, but that is too much to hope for."     The Future of The School  Fair Lawn News asked Ray Jacobus, about the school. Mr. Jacobus has been the Board of Education's Business Administrator since 2001, after the former Admnistirator, Bruce Watson, was promoted to Schools Superintendent. Jacobus said that the School Board started a process last year to evaluate the building's condition and determine appropriate improvements. The Board hired an architect to make suggestions for improving the building and has been meeting with local residents. He said "The architect determined that the interior space is too small to use for educational purposes." Jacobus expects that the Board will "probably choose to paint the building, and either plant new shrubbery or install a fence to hide the gasoline tanks". Jacobus said that since the building is not an official historic landmark, the Board could choose to put up exterior siding. Jacobus said if they were to paint the building, the architect would determine the appropriate paint so that it does not peel off. He said there are no plans to move the buses or the gasoline tanks. "It is more economical and convenient for the Board to have its own storage place for gasoline." He said "the school district does not want to put the tanks underground, because that would be an environmental risk".   To find the school, go down River Road about half-way between Fair Lawn Avenue and Shop Rite. Turn (towards the river) onto either Bergen Avenue or Legion Place, and go down a few houses.