Historic Parish House in Bernardsville transformed into luxury housing

Courtesy of Brad Wadlow - MyCentralJersey.com

BERNARDSVILLE – Almost half of the luxury condominiums have been sold in one of the most distinctive and unique redevelopment projects in Central Jersey.

The 20 residences at The Heritage at Claremont, on Claremont Road, are priced from the $700,000s to $1.7 million.

The centerpiece of the luxury project is the Great Hall, originally the Parish House of St. Bernard's Episcopal Church.

If that stately Gothic architecture reminds you of other landmarks, it's not a coincidence.

The architect, Henry Janeway Hardenburg, also designed The Dakota apartment house on Central Park West in Manhattan and The Plaza Hotel. He also designed the library, chapel and Geology Hall at Rutgers and Palmer Stadium in Princeton.

Hardenburg lived in Bernardsville and was a founding member of St. Bernard's Episcopal Church.

Kevin Cullen, vice president of The Conti Group, the project's developer, said the Parish House, which was finished in 1912, was reimagined as The Great Hall by "taking the original features of the building and preserving its historical content."

The Parish House, said Cullen, served a variety of functions.

"It had a number of different uses," he said. "It served as everything from war relief efforts to a basketball court to a community center that, prior to redevelopment, had fallen into disrepair."

Architect Jeffrey Beer, working with project adviser Daniel Lincoln, a local architect known for his work in historic preservation, blended the old with the new on the 2-acre property.

The Heritage at Claremont's open concept floor plans offer up to three bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths and up to 2,800 square feet of living space.

The open concept living space at The Heritage at Claremont in Bernardsville

Other highlights include kitchens with high-end appliances such as a Wolf six-burner gas range and sub-zero refrigerator, specialty countertops and furniture-quality cabinetry.

Residents' concierge services are provided by the company APC. "They'll do everything from help you take care of packages to coordinating package delivery to coordinating trips to the airport," Cullen said.

Parking is in a garage. Common areas are monitored both in-person and remotely. Utilities, maintenance and repair services are all included in homeowner’s association fees.

"They vary by the unit," Cullen said of the homeowner's association fees, "based on the square footage of the unit. They're designed to provide a high level of care for the property and include some of the costs for heating and cooling of the units."

The Heritage at Claremont is within walking distance of downtown Bernardsville and the Bernardsville Train Station which has direct train service to Manhattan on NJ Transit's Morris and Essex Line.

To learn more, call 908-857-4492 or visit theheritageatclaremont.com.

Brad Wadlow is Community Content Specialist for MyCentralJersey.com.