Teaneck oak tree a ‘living witness’ to history,
might get historic designation
By DENISA R. SUPERVILLE, Staff Writer
Monday, April 16, 2012
TEANECK — The township’s most famous tree — a hulking, centuries-old red oak that towers over Cedar Lane — has been called "majestic," a seemingly fitting adjective, and "big," an obvious understatement.
The tree’s admirers, including residents who have fought over the years to rescue it from many close shaves with chain saws, may soon be able to call the tree "historic."
On April 25, the township’s Historic Preservation Commission will hold a hearing to determine whether the red oak, which is more than 350 years old and is the fourth-largest red oak in the state, should be designated a historic site.
If the commissioners agree, the oak will be the first plant in the township to receive the designation, said Eugene Coleman, the commission’s chairman, who called the tree "a beautiful specimen."
Historic site designations are usually conferred on buildings that are exemplars of a particular style of architecture or the work of a famous architect, cemeteries in which famous — or infamous — individuals are buried or areas that played significant roles in battles.
But "trees, in and of themselves, have not been listed" as historic sites in New Jersey, said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the Division of Parks and Forestry. Hajna said that trees routinely are included in historic districts and sites listed in the state and national registers of historic places.
The commission made the recommendation mainly because of the tree’s age, Coleman said.
"It’s the very fact of the age of the tree — that it’s been around for 300, maybe 350 years," he said. "It is on a known or historic homestead that’s been removed. There is no trace of it, except for the tree."
The tree is in a grassy area on the Cedar Lane side of a property at 811 Palisade Ave. owned by Netivot Shalom. The Orthodox synagogue purchased the property in November 2010 and promised to save the tree.
The tree has been rescued from the chopping block more than once. Netivot Shalom bought the property from the Union for Traditional Judaism, which cited safety reasons in 2010 when it announced that it planned to cut down the tree. But the tree was saved after pleas from the township and protests from community activists.
A quarter-century earlier, Irwin Weinberg, the late husband of state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, led a protest to keep the tree alive. At the time, a developer wanted to put a parking lot on the property.
A plaque near the base of the tree notes Irwin Weinberg’s efforts.
The tree is a "living witness to the history of Teaneck from Revolutionary days to present" and was saved from destruction by concerned citizens of Teaneck, Bergen County, The Puffin Foundation and Congregation Netivot Shalom, the plaque reads.
Perry Rosenstein, president of the township-based Puffin Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides grants to artists and cultural and educational organizations, said he intends to attend the commission’s hearing to speak in favor of the historic designation.
The Puffin Foundation donated money to the county last year for a conservation easement, which allows the county to maintain the tree in perpetuity.
"It’s been here for 300 years," Rosenstein said. "And it was a witness to the complete growth and development of Teaneck and all the events that have taken place in that period of time — from George Washington’s retreat to our guys going off to fight fascism in World War II."
The historic-site designation will allow the commission to safeguard the tree, which already has some measures of protection built into the conservation easement.
For example, the designation will prevent anyone from "cutting it down, putting up a kiosk next to it, hanging banners around it [or] permanently affixing something to it," Coleman said.
The commission can make its decision the night of the hearing, but the Township Council has the final say, Coleman said.
"Ours is a recommendation; theirs is confirmation," Coleman said.
