65,000-square-foot Duke mansion may be torn down

HILLSBOROUGH – The forgotten centerpiece of the Duke estate may be coming down.

The Duke Farms Foundation has applied to the township's Historic Preservation Commission for permission to demolish the 65,000-square-foot main mansion of the estate which has been unoccupied since Doris Duke's death in 1993.

The mansion, located in the northern part of the 2,740-acre estate off River Road, has fallen into disrepair, with asbestos and mold problems, according to the application filed with the township.

The foundation had considered alternate uses for the mansion, built around the turn of the previous century and had consulted with architects, landscape architects and architectural historians.

But the foundation could not identify a "mission-appropriate" use for the building, the application said.

Michael Catania, executive director of the foundation, said it would "cost a fortune" to heat the mansion and to abate the problems with asbestos and bring the structure up to code.

The 15-acre site, with gardens, fountains and waterfalls, is "drop dead gorgeous," Catania said, so the foundation wants to make that area more accessible to the public.

Demolition of the mansion would allow the foundation to open the entrance to the property from River Road and the John Basilone Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Raritan River from Raritan Borough to Hillsborough, Catania said.

The foundation is also partnering with Somerset County on a potential bikeway that would connect the county's greenway along the Raritan River to the Duke property, he said.

Eventually that bikeway could connect to a possible rail trail on the right-of-way of the former South Branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey that used to connect Somerville to Flemington, Catania said.

Before the building is demolished, the foundation will seek to preserve some of the more architecturally significant details inside the mansion, including the stone fireplaces and some of the woodwork, he added.

The foundation is also seeking permission from the township to install a new slate roof on the property's Coach Barn, which is being eyed as a conference center, Catania said.

The foundation has already invested $50 million into the property, which contains almost four dozen buildings. Fourteen buildings and many other features, such as waterfalls and fountains, have been restored.

In addition, five more buildings are being restored, according the foundation's application.

Between 1893 and 1925, the tobacco and power magnate James Buchanan Duke transformed more than 2,000 acres of farmland and woodlots into an extraordinary estate. He excavated nine lakes, constructed 45 buildings, and built nearly 2 ½ miles of stone walls and more than 18 miles of roadway. He also installed approximately 35 fountains and populated his property with countless pieces of sculpture.

His daughter Doris Duke, often called the richest woman in the world, lived on the estate until her death in 1993.

The Historic Preservation Commission hearing on the application will be held 7:30 p.m. July 30 at the township municipal building.

Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentraljersey.com