Duke Mansion Can Be Saved

October 11, 2015

After learning about the proposed demolition of the Doris Duke mansion, it seems ironic
that the executive director of the Duke Farms Foundation, Michael Catania, is the one
who is calling for the mansions demolition.
NJ taxpayers once funded Mr. Catanias salary as a deputy commissioner of the NJ
Department of Environmental Protection under Governors Byrne and Kean, and before
that his salary at the Office of Legislative Services. In that role he drafted many
landmark NJ environmental laws, including the NJ Conservation Restriction and Historic
Preservation Restriction Act.
Now he is the point man for demolition?
For whatever reasons, the Duke mansion was allowed to deteriorate. It is not beyond
repair or beyond the state of arrested decay, which is a term used by the State of
California to preserve Bodie State Historic Park. The Duke mansion is not beyond the
state of preserved ruin, which is the term used by Philadelphia PA to preserve Eastern
State Penitentiary. Both sites bring in tourist dollars to their respective regions.
Some of the reasons for the demolition of the Duke mansion are the cost of mold and
asbestos remediation, and the cost of heating the mansion. Mold has existed since the
beginning of time. It is dealt with on a daily basis by home owners not as wealthy as the
Duke Farms Foundation. Shore owners had experience with mold remediation after
hurricane Sandy. They had houses repaired, rehabilitated or re-built. Mold issues can
be remedied.
Asbestos remediation is also dealt with by ordinary home owners and businesses.
Once it is removed it is gone forever.
Heating costs affect everyone, and there are ways to alleviate the ever increasing costs.
Perhaps more vision is needed. The Duke Farms is conservation and environmentally
conscientious, and the existing solar array and geothermal wells could be utilized or a
windmill could be considered with the appropriate local government approvals.
Ms. Doris Duke was a reclusive individual, who considered the Hillsborough Duke
Estate to be the place that she felt most comfortable. The people of the region knew
her from news reports and tabloids as the poor little rich girl. The iconic Duke stone
wall separated her from the rest of the world yet she gave so much back to this region,
state, and nation.

Her family papers, located at Duke University Library archives, detail the meticulous
care that she and her family gave to the Duke mansion. Those extensive family papers
are the blue print for rehabilitation, restoration, and preservation of the mansion. The
depth of the documentation of the mansion should certainly be noted. If Ms. Duke did
not care about the mansion then those papers would have been destroyed.
People like Ms. Duke had blind faith that those coming behind them would simply know
their wishes. She saw no need to specifically express not to demolish her home. The
mansion is approximately 58,000 square feet, and it is listed in the top twenty largest
houses in the United States.
What would Winterthur be without the DuPont mansion? Winterthur has approximately
130,000 visitors a year. What would the Morristown National Historical Park be without
the Ford Mansion? In 2013, more than 300,000 people visited Morristown National
Historical Park, spending almost $17 million and supported almost 200 jobs according
to a study by the US Geological Survey.
Why does the Duke Farms Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation have
no vision about the significance of the Duke mansion to the entire cultural landscape
that is Duke Farms? What is a farm without a residence?
The Duke mansion deserves to be saved not just to preserve the structure or preserve
the legacy of the Duke Family. It deserves to be saved for the economic engine that it
could provide to stimulate the regions economy, job growth, and cultural and heritage
tourism.
Sincerely,
Nancy A. Piwowar
Plainfield, New Jersey 07063