Haddon House (1820) - Haddonfield, NJ
N 39° 53.961 W 075° 01.742
18S E 497518 N 4416586
This 189 year old house is a prominent structure, a focal point of the historic district. Saved by the community, who adopted this house in efforts to preserve it, the nickname, Haddon House was coined and is still used today to reference this home.
Waymark Code: WM6T90
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 07/17/2009
Views: 3
This is an obscenely huge house at the intersection of Potter Street and Kings Highway. Entirely made of bricks and can comfortably house a family of 12! It is a pre-Victorian home in line with the rest of the nearby architecture.
Not much more to say about this house. It is older than about 50 years than some of the other homes across the street. It would best fit the Late Federal style of architecture, perhaps. Today, this house serves commercial interests. It is a complete mystery as to why it is called the Haddon House. The only thing I can speculate, after reading the below narrative, is the house was looked after by the community of Haddonfield, and under their protection, it survived. Hence, the collective name shortened, Haddon, comes from the collective effort to preserve the house.
For a more detailed and informed physical description of this site, I have added information from the original nomination form sent to me by John P. Byrne, National Register Database Manager (John_Byrne@nps.gov), Department of the Interior.. This narrative was created March 16, 1979, mailed in to Washington, D.C. and evaluated April 18, 1980 and finally approved on July 21, 1982. Thanks to this designation and the efforts of the community to stop developers in the early 70s, Haddonfield is permanently protected and is one of the best example of an intact Colonial America. This house adds to that with its Colonial facade
"Historic "Haddon House," built by George Hanold in 1820. Charles Hammit Shin purchased the house in 1863 and added a mansard roof and curved dormers. Original house has beautiful bracketed cornice with classic dentils. Original red brick now painted white windows have 6 over 6 lights. Handsome pedimented entrance with an arched doorway and fan light. To save the structure, after the heirs died, a group of local citizens used it as a restaurant, unprofitably. It was sold and is now used as a lawyer's office. Entire historic facade preserved under Historic District Ordinance. Outstanding corner property on King's Highway." --- National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Haddonfield Historic District Nomination Form. It seems the assessor who wrote the narratives was much less impressed than I was. I am assuming in 1977 this house did not appear as nice as it does now and maybe underwent some renovations to bring it to today's current condition.
If you have half a mind to explore this waymark and the hundreds of others in this historic area, go to this WEBSITE, you will see where all the free parking in town is located as well as all the other historical areas. The are several close-by public parking areas. The public parking area takes nickels, dimes and quarters. There is no parking available in front of this house. I recommend parking in front of the French House or the Historical Society headquarters or somewhere thereabouts. Foot and regular traffic can be a very overwhelming, especially at this location, and especially in the warm months, but easy pickings in the colder months. People park on the street for hours at a time so go early. This home marks the heart of the historic district.
If you are interested in learning more about this well-preserved historic district, you are encouraged to visit their website.
