The Atwood-Blauvelt Mansion has held court over a 2-acre lawn on Kinderkamack Road for nearly 120 years.
ORADELL -- The Atwood-Blauvelt Mansion has held court over a 2-acre lawn on Kinderkamack Road for nearly 120 years.
Oradell residents fear that reign may soon end.
JoAnn Young, an Oradell residents who has fought to save the building, believes CareOne, a senior care company that owns the mansion, is making moves to demolish the building. Jeffrey Wells, who owned the mansion until 2011, told Young that CareOne had conducted a walkthrough of the property to determine where utilities are hooked up.
"He felt that it was step one of trying to demolish the property, so we knew we had to move on it immediately," Young said. "We've been trying to speak with CareOne, but we have not been able to get their attention."
Timothy Hodges, chief strategy officer for CareOne, said in a statement that the Fort Lee company is continuing to "explore its development options for the property."
"That process is still ongoing and no final decisions have been made," he said. "CareOne has not applied for a demolition permit from the Borough of Oradell."
CareOne sought to develop a facility for dementia patients, but was repeatedly rejected by the Oradell zoning board. Architect Fred W. Wentworth, who would later reshape much of Paterson after massive fire in 1902, designed the "shingle-style" home, completed in 1897 on a commission from insurance magnate Kimball Chase Atwood.
Dinish Khosla, an Oradell resident, has pledged $1 million to go toward buying the house, but Young said CareOne has asked for well above what they believe is the appraised value of $5 million. With its fate undetermined, the mansion has deteriorated: Vines have begun claiming the columns and water has rotted some of the wood.
Supporters held a demonstration to call attention to the mansion's fate earlier this month. Since that protest, Carol Males, an Oradell resident, launched a change.org petition asking the borough mayor and council to save the mansion from demolition. The petition had more than 5,700 signatures as of Tuesday.
At borough hall Tuesday night, supporters plan to bring the message directly to the mayor and council. Sam Tripsas, a member of the borough historical committee, plans to attend.
"I feel with enough getting the word out, it's going to do something," he said. "Maybe it's going to embarrass them. That can help."
Oradell officials did not return calls seeking comment. The Tuesday meeting will be the last for outgoing Mayor Joseph Murray Jr. Backers of the mansion hope incoming Dianne Didio will be more supportive of efforts to save the mansion.
Oradell lacks a historic commission, leaving public pressure as the only way to save the mansion, Maggie L. Harrer, another historical committee member, said.
"This is an incredibly important battle," she said. "It's not a small thing. It would knock out that whole streetscape in Oradell, and 200 years of history."
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.