Demolished 'Castle on the Hill' high school and other endangered historic NJ sites inspire film

The demolition of Camden High School — known as the “Castle on the Hill” — helped inspire Preservation New Jersey to shine a spotlight on the fragility of some of the state’s most historic places with a short documentary set to be released in March.

The documentary, “Saved or Lost Forever,” delves into the history of three endangered properties that have moving stories to tell, said Courtenay Mercer, the nonprofit’s executive director. 

Camden High School, Lower New York Bay’s Romer Shoal Light (house) and the Van Wagenen (Apple Tree) House of Jersey City have taken dissimilar paths since landing on the nonprofit’s annual “10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey” list over the past 25 years.

Created in 1995, the list highlights fading historic, architectural, cultural, and archaeological sites to raise awareness about the benefits of preservation. Mercer said it’s about more than saving a building or a tract of land for nostalgic reasons, however.

“It is a fight related to the economic and cultural well-being of our state and all of its residents,” she said.

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The film tells the story of Garden State sites linked to significant events and periods in state history. It also discusses their importance to New Jersey's heritage and the difficulties faced when attempting to save them.

The “Castle on the Hill,” as Camden High School was called, no longer exists. Demolished in 2018 to make way for a nearly $100 million replacement set to open by September 2021, the building had sections that dated back to 1916.

Its main feature was a central turreted tower with a limestone Tudor arch that underwent restoration work in 2010. The tower was later lumped into a plan to replace the entire school with a more modern facility, despite the best efforts of a passionate group of local preservation advocates, Mercer said.

“When we began thinking about the documentary, the Camden High School advocates had just lost their last court appeal to save the structure, so the site happened to be front of mind,” she said.

Another of the documentary’s main subjects is a site that is still in limbo, Mercer said. Romer Shoal Light is a lighthouse in Lower New York Bay that stands as an example of the impact of climate change on historic resources.   

“The light is just one of innumerable historic structures along the coast that were damaged during Sandy, and still in jeopardy of future sea-level rise and storms,” Mercer said.

The 54-foot lighthouse was first illuminated in 1898, 60 years after the first beacon was established on the shoal roughly 3 nautical miles north of Sandy Hook. Once operated by four Coast Guard members, the lighthouse was automated in 1966 and named a National Historic Landmark in 2007. It’s now owned by a nonprofit that is attempting to restore and preserve it. 

The third featured site is one that was saved: the Van Wagenen House in Jersey City. Also known as the Apple Tree House, the historic home recently reopened to the public after a long struggle for restoration funding.

The home’s history spans centuries. It’s touted as the site of a backyard meeting between General Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette under an apple tree and the funeral of Democratic Party boss and famous local Frank Hague.

In 1996, it landed on the 10 most endangered list. Three years later, the city purchased it for $450,000. Now restored with the help of federal and state grant money, Mercer said, it’s again a place in which the community can take pride.

The documentary featuring the three sites will premier March 4 at the organization’s 10 Most 25th Anniversary Gala. The event, set for 6:30 p.m. will be held at Newark Symphony Hall — one of the 10 sites named on Preservation New Jersey’s first “10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey” list 25 years ago.

Turning 95 this year, the hall was a home for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra before the construction of the nearby New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

The angular neo-classical landmark was first known as Salaam Temple, as it was built by the Shriners Masonic fraternity. Sold to the city in 1964, it has a main concert hall that holds more than 2,700 and has hosted acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin and Frankie Valli.

The Broad Street landmark still needs work — a $40 million restoration project is mooted. However, the site continues to host everything from concerts and weddings to galas with gourmet food and live music.

David Zimmer is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: zimmer@northjersey.com Twitter: @dzimmernews