Opposition group wants the judge to consider a letter from a national expert.
HILLSBOROUGH -- The fate of the historic Duke Farms mansion could be decided by a judge as early as next week after she heard arguments Friday from both sides of the demolition debate.
David Brook, an attorney representing a citizen's group seeking to stop the demolition, urged Superior Court Judge Yolanda Ciccone to consider a letter from a national expert on the matter before making her decision.
The letter from William Bolger, National Landmarks Program Manager of the National Park Service, states that the property is eligible for the National Register, the architecture of the mansion is significant and the mansion is an integral part of the larger Duke Farms historical landscape.
The Duke Farms Foundation, which is planning the demolition, countered with expert witness Mary Cooperman, who held opposite views on each point.
Brook told the judge that Cooperman's testimony misled the township's Historical Preservation Commission, which voted 6 to 1 to approve the demolition application.
Brook, representing a group called DORIS, (Demolition of Residence is Senseless), has filed papers in Superior Court in Somerset County seeking a injunction to stop a demolition permit from being issued.
The group contends the township violated the Open Public Meetings Act and local land use laws by allowing the commission to approve the demolition and by the board of adjustments refusing to hear an appeal.
Attorney Jeffrey T. LaRosa, who represents the Duke Farms Foundation, told the judge that Bolger's letter repeats information the commission already had from another expert witness, Emily Krugman, when it ruled in favor of issuing the permit.
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LaRosa said the mansion, which was built in 1893, is no longer a part of the Duke Farms Foundation's mission and has "zero significance" to the privately-owned property.
He said it's untrue that Doris Duke specifically wanted to preserve the mansion. He said 25 of the 50 buildings on the property have been renovated so far.
Pre-demolition work has started on the mansion and it would now take more than the $10 to $20 million originally estimated to restore it, LaRosa said. Demolition of the mansion will open up 50 acres, LaRosa said.
Brook and his group, however, remain steadfast in their belief that the mansion should be preserved.
"The mansion is Hillsborough's biggest and perhaps only claim to fame," Brook said.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.