In 1908, a beautiful Late Queen Anne house was built in Freehold, New Jersey.
This house stood proudly just outside Main Street of this once quaint town, exhibiting great architectural details representative of its time.
Its beautiful, ornate Queen Anne windows allowed sunlight to dance through the rooms.
However, in a turn of events that shocked those who care about their town and its history, the house was purchased by terrible homeowners – monsters.
Below we will show you each feature that was destroyed.
Older photos show the damage the monsters did to the architecture of the house. I will show you what they did to this house, with a warning that it is very sad.
First see the realtor information and photos from Zillow.
More architectural vandalism in Freehold, NJ. A new homeowner eyes this house from above, anxiously waiting to obliterate the architecture and history that all the previous homeowners preserved until now.
See the progression that happened very quickly.
The once-majestic windows were stripped of their glory, replaced with soulless plastic alternatives that lack the charm and character of the original designs. To make matters worse, many windows were covered up entirely, robbing the house of its essence and plunging it into darkness. It was a heart-wrenching sight, witnessing such a beautiful piece of history being defaced by these monstrous inhabitants. It left myself and others saddened, questioning how someone could treat a house with such disregard and insensitivity.
Only monsters could do such a horrid thing. This tragedy now serves as a reminder that not everyone possesses (or has the mental ability to) the appreciation and respect for heritage that this house truly deserves. This will prompt some to contemplate that instead of wrecking a neighborhood, perhaps some individuals are better suited and exiled to a simpler, less historically damaging lifestyle, such as that of a trailer park or garden apartment
The arrows point to features that were destroyed by the new evil homeowners.
116 Year Old Oriel Window Gone Forever!
The window below is called an Oriel Window. A beautiful feature used on a Queen Anne Victorian house. This beautiful window was covered up as you see.
Original Oriel window. Photo is low quality taken from Google Maps.
Oriel window covered up by trashy evil homeowners.
Interior of Oriel window taken from Realtor’s photos. Notice the leaded glass window that survived 116 years and is now gone forever in a dumpster thanks to these monsters.
The woodwork in this house would have been stained originally and was probably painted in the 1930’s. Unfortunately that was the trend at the time. It took me three years to strip the paint off my woodwork , cursing the grave of the homeowner that painted it.
Notice on the wall the previous homeowners were proud of their house having a framed sketch of their house at an early date. The sketch shows the front top bay window has each of the three windows shuttered. Hopefully the previous owners moved away so not to see and be saddened by what happened to the house they obviously cared so much for.
Side Dormers Closed Up!
Difficult to see but the dormers had double windows in a Queen Anne design. The shingles were in an arched pattern above the windows.
Dormer windows removed and sealed up with plastic siding. They may have someone locked up in there.
They did it to the right side dormer also!
Beautiful Front Dormer & Windows – GONE!
Front dormer with arched shingle pattern over two beautiful Queen Anne windows. Side dormers had the same windows and shingle design.
Two Queen Anne windows trashed and replaced with one plastic window that will be in the landfill in 15-20 years. Decorative shingle pattern is covered up with plastic siding. Bad karma to these monsters!
It is difficult to see but the prior owners maintained the original Queen Anne windows that were in every window on the house. Notice the operable louvered wood shutters. See the balustrade? (Photo from realtor)
Similar style Queen Anne window designs since the windows on the house are difficult to see.
A tripple parlor window risks exposure of the monsters to light.
The triple ornate double-hung windows reduced to one lonely casement window provides a blank stare appearance.
Beautiful Exquisite Porch Balustrade & Skirt Destroyed!
Star design balustrade. Porch skirt an ornate diamond pattern. Notice the recessed design and diamond in the porch posts. This diamond pattern is also reflected in the window design and the shingles on the 2nd floor.
Queen Anne Star balustrade is perfect condition although porch floor needs replacing.
Plastic balustrade too tall. Lack of a porch skirt means lack of ventilation allowing the porch floor to rot so the homeowner can fall and break a leg or something better.
Defaced and Destroyed!
Notice the shingle design and diamond pattern on the 2nd floor. Notice the Blessed Virgin Mary on the porch. Unfortunately she was not able to protect the house from the evil monsters that moved in.
This is a Spite House. The homeowners vandalized the charm out of this house turning it into a plastic building reflecting their trashy status and background.
There is so much detail! If this house was painted Victorian colors, there would be a color for the clapboard and another color for the shingles. Not to mention the trim, windows, and an accent color.
Conclusion.
Sadly this house now stands as a poignant reminder of the importance of preserving and cherishing our architectural heritage. Its fate acts as a cautionary tale, urging society to value and protect these remnants of the past, for they hold within them the stories, memories, and beauty of bygone eras. It serves as a call to action, prompting us to safeguard our historical treasures from such unfortunate encounters with “this type” of people, ensuring that future generations can experience the awe-inspiring allure of these time-honored structures and the narratives they carry.
Protection can be instituted by a Historic Preservation Easement by the prior homeowner or by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). While Freehold borough does possess an HPC, it operates with considerable fragility, often yielding to the unyielding undesirable individuals who stubbornly resist any attempts to regulate what they can do with their homes solely based on their perceived entitlement.
It’s imperative to emphasize the importance of preserving the historical integrity and value of homes in our community. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, it’s concerning to witness such shallowness and lack of concern for our town’s rich architectural heritage.
Comments such as “I pay my taxes” or “No-one tells me what to do to my house” only shows ones lack of intelligence and upbringing. This can result in these “spite houses”. Their ignorance prevent the formation of historic districts where a homeowner can be educated to understand and appreciate good architecture and protect what they have.
By upholding higher standards for historical preservation, we can instead attract a higher quality of residents who truly value and respect the essence of our town – not like the monsters in this house. Otherwise, the risk is that we diminish our town’s unique charm and character, replacing it with fleeting modern trends. Let’s champion the cause of preservation and strive for a community that holds its history in high regard before nothing is left.
WOW!!! not only did they replace every window, they covered up so much natural light with more blah siding. I’m shocked that people even still use vinyl when the trend now is going back to the clapboard and shingle look with newer materials that are paintable. So much has been done that it would be too difficult to undo. SHAME on these home owners which look like a flip job…. ugh
This is horrible. I don’t care about people saying that they did this so they won’t have to paint. This destroyed the beauty of this house. Imagine having to live next door to it and seeing it every day. I hope they have a horrible time selling it. Who would want to live in this coffin?
This beautiful house was totally desecrated! Why? Why would anyone buy a house like this, remove all the original windows, trim, etc….and replace it with common junk?
Contractors that destroy houses like this, sell the architectural items they remove for a ton of money. Others throw the items in the dumpster.
There should be laws against this ..but I won’t hold my breathe.
This is just terrible. The windows were so lovely, as was the house. I live in a new house because older ones were just out of my price range. I am always trying to think of ways to give it more charm and character. Why in the world would someone buy a house like this just to destroy it? It is a kind of abuse.
Oh wow, that is heartbreaking. They are monsters. I wish we could save them all.
This is presented as an isolated incident, when in fact 90-97% of all Victorian houses in NJ have already gone through this same treatment! Look at the houses next door–this house was probably the last “original” left!
How do you think the new owners would feel about your article? I bet they wouldn’t even care about what you think, and they would defend their actions. Based on personal experience, they would probably say that the new look is “cleaner”, more “up-to-date”, maintenance-free, and the windows increase fuel efficiency. The “before” looked (they would say) like “Grandma’s house” or the “Munster’s house”, both of which are seen as a negative. This is the same mentality that compels people to paint interior rooms all white or all gray because that’s what’s in vogue right now.
I hate this kind of remuddling as much as you do, but I don’t how you can stop it. You can’t “enforce taste”. It would be like telling people to stop listening to rock music, and start listening to Classical and Baroque because it’s more beautiful. How do you think THAT would go over?
I think the best we can do is buy our own houses, fix them up, furnish and preserve them properly and enjoy them, thus setting an example. At present, there are more artistic Victorians with original features intact than there are sympathetic buyers who have a desire to live in and maintain such places.
If homeowners really care about their house they would put an easement on their house to prevent this.
As a criminal investigator in law enforcement, and one that loves and respects every inch of our original 1889 victorian home, I am nauseous after reading this article.
I found myself saying to the persons involved, what i always say to criminals.
What were you thinking?
You realize you took a great situation and completely ruined it?
I wish we had laws for this kind of activity! This case would be at top of my list!
I would love to re-open the space where the Oriel windows once were – and do that by using the owner’s foreheads. Both from the inside, and outside.
-Victorian home owner, circa 1885, – Swedesboro, NJ