Century-Old Parish House in Bernardsville Transformed into Luxury Condos

The Heritage, a development of twenty luxury condominiums on a historic church property in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

Around the turn of the 20th century, waves of immigrants coming to America swelled the population in Somerset County. Residents congregated in Bernardsville at St. Bernard’s Parish, which erected the Great Hall in 1912 which served as a community center for many years hosting activities from Sunday school to youth basketball.

After a long tenure as a community center, the Great Hall unfortunately fell into disrepair. Discussions between NGC Development and St. Bernard’s Parish about how to save and restore the historic Great Hall led to a partnership to where NGC Development would restore and convert the Great Hall into historic luxury condominiums, construct a new, modern, Parish Hall for St. Bernard’s Parish, and create sixteen additioal residences on the property while keeping the historic feel and features in place.

The result is the Heritage at Claremont, a development currently under construction that will ultimately contain 20 residences in two buildings. Four of the residences will be located in the historic Great Hall, with sixteen luxury condominiums are located in a new construction building. The luxury residences range from single-story one, two and three bedroom units to multi-story three bedrooms units.

The Great Hall

NGC Development, worked with architect Jeffrey Beer, “the mastermind between the harmony created between old and new on the site,” according to company spokesman Kevin Cullen.

The new condominiums feature stucco and stone exteriors, hardwood flooring, gas fireplaces, granite countertops, terraces and patios in some units.

The design of the Great Hall is architecturally significant. Architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh used a Gothic and Arts and Crafts style, popular among architects at the time as a way to distance themselves from Victorian architecture. Hardenberg also designed the Plaza Hotel, the Dakota Apartments in New York City, and the Willard Hotel in Washington DC.

The Original in 1912

“We are profoundly lucky to have one of his buildings in Bernardsville,” Cullen said. “His design for this parish house was celebrated and respected during the rehabilitation and conversion.”