The Pascack Brook runs over a dam where a mill once stood on the Haring Homestead property (Photo: John Meore/The Journal News.)
“The new owner of the Jade Village restaurant and the historic property it sits on plans to demolish the building, which retains little of its original features, and restore the land to a natural state.
Robert Asselbergs said Friday that his review of the three-story structure determined almost nothing remained of the circa 1780 one-story Dutch sandstone dwelling, known as the Haring Homestead.
Owners of the Chinese restaurant that closed last month renovated the building in 1997, adding vinyl siding, stucco and wallboard that obscured much of what remained of its historic character.
Asselbergs, who has lived next door in a large brick Colonial for 30 years, purchased the 6.8-acre parcel at 606 South Pascack Road for $1.4 million.
He said his focus was on the historic beauty of the property, which includes a stretch of the Pascack Brook with a dam and spillway that once powered a mill.
Rockland Historical Society Executive Director Susan Curry Deeks said her organization supported the decision to raze the building. The society’s marker explaining the site’s history sits alongside Pascack Road.
“We also toured the building and are grateful Mr. Asselbergs was willing to take the time to so thoroughly research whether there was a viable sandstone building underneath, and we’re sad there isn’t. We think his preservation plan for the property is a wonderful step. The brook itself has so much history.”
Read the complete Journal News story here.