FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Puglisi
April 2, 2007
Contact:
Anthony
973-621-2542
Lauren Shears
973-621-1590
ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO INTRODUCES
KIP’S CASTLE PARK ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
12-Member Volunteer Board Will Provide Recommendations
About How to Maintain and Use Historic Property;
Open House Scheduled for Saturday, May 5th
Montclair/Verona, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. introduced
the members of the newly-formed Essex County Kip’s Castle Park Advisory Board on
Monday, April 2nd. The 12-member volunteer board will advise the County Executive
about how historic house and park site should be used and maintained.
“Purchasing Kip’s Castle was an extraordinary opportunity for Essex County to preserve
a unique historic site, add more open space to our Park System and create a unique
cultural center that will be available to the public,” DiVincenzo said. “I look to the
Advisory Board members to lend us their experience and expertise to help us develop
ideas about how the property can become a cultural asset for the community as well as
giving guidance about how to maintain and historically restore it,” he added.
The 12-member Advisory Board is comprised of three Montclair residents, three Verona
residents and five “at large” members. The County Executive reached out to the mayors
of Montclair and Verona to nominate a municipal representative, who cannot be an
elected official. The Advisory Board members are appointed by the County Executive.
The members are:
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Anthony P. Ambrosio, a resident of Verona, who is an attorney with his own
private practice specializing in merger and acquisition matters and commercial
law
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Sam Delgado, a resident of Newark, who is a Senior Specialist with Verizon
Frank Del Gaudio, a resident of Montclair, who is the Essex County Risk
Manager
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Joyce Goldman, a resident of Montclair, who is Essex County Constituent
Services Manager and Essex County Liaison to Montclair
Fred V. Goode, a resident of Verona, who is an Area Account Manager for Fair
Pharmacy in the Bronx, N.Y.
Bill Harrison, a resident of Montclair, who is an attorney with Genova, Burns &
Vernoia and specializes in land use, environmental and real estate law
Charon J.W. Motayne, a resident of Newark, who is a certified public accountant
with her own private practice
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Kevin D. Moore, a resident of Newark, who is the Principal Owner of Kevin D.
Moore & Associates, an urban environmental consulting firm he founded in 2004
A. Knadya O’Kelly, a resident of West Orange, who is Program Coordinator for
the City of East Orange Clean & Green Environmental Education Center and a
member of the Essex County Environmental Commission

Karen Miller Pensiero, a resident of Verona, who is Assistant Managing Editor of
the Wall Street Journal and a member of the Kip’s Ridge Preservation Group and
the Verona Planning Board

Dan Salvante, a resident of South Orange, who is Director of the Essex County
Department of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs

Larry A. Stempler, a resident of Livingston, who is an attorney with his own
private practice specializing in business, real estate and tax law
Essex County Kip’s Castle Open House
In addition, the Executive announced that Kip’s Castle will be open to the public for the
first time as a County park during an Open House event. It will be held as follows:
Date:
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Time:
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Place:
Essex County Kip’s Castle Park
22 Crestmont Road
Montclair, NJ
Members of the public will be able to walk the beautiful grounds, enjoy the panoramic
views and explore the landmark castle. In addition, there will be display tables promoting
Essex County’s other recreation facilities. Admission is free and there will be
entertainment and free refreshments.
Preserving a Landmark
Members of the public who are interested in joining the Kip’s Castle Conservancy may
sign up at the Open House. This volunteer organization will work cooperatively with the
County to apply for NJ Green Acres funding to help maintain and restore the property,
provide ideas for programming and volunteer support. Its function will be similar to over
40 park conservancies that the County has partnered with since 2003 to rejuvenate the
historic Essex County Park System.
The County has plans to improve accessibility and upgrade the estate. The front driveway
will be widened, and historically accurate lighting will be added to the roadway leading
to the property, the parking lot will be repaved, drainage improved, roof repaired, interior
renovations made to the first floor and a landscaping plan developed. This work will be
funded with a grant from the Essex County Open Recreation and Space Trust Fund.
When reopened, the building will house office space for the Essex County Division of
Cultural and Historic Affairs, Essex County Open Space Trust Fund and the Essex
County Parks Foundation. Meeting space will be made available for the conservancies
and community groups that partner with the County, and historical societies would be
encouraged to meet and provide programming at the site. There are also plans to create
museum space to showcase the history of the Essex Park System.
The castle was built by Frederic E. Kip, a wealthy textile manufacturer and investor, in
1902. The 9,000-square-foot mansion is a replica of a medieval Norman castle and is
constructed of local trap rock trimmed with sandstone. Many of the rooms are uniquely
designed with round or octagonal shapes and vaulted ceilings. There are six ornately
designed fireplaces throughout the structure. There also is a 6,000-square-foot, two-story
carriage house that was renovated in 1984 to accommodate offices. The property is
located on 11 acres on the ridge of First Mountain, and provides spectacular views.
Almost two acres are located in Montclair and about nine acres in Verona.
The castle was used as a private residence for many years after Kip sold the estate in
1926. In the 1980s, the castle was the United States headquarters of Bhagwan Shree
Rajneesh, an Indian guru. He sold the property in 1984 to the law firm of Schwartz,
Tobia Stanziale, which used the buildings as their law offices. The law firm announced
its intention to sell Kip’s Castle in August 2006.
Essex County purchased the 11-acre Kip’s Castle property for $5.6 million using a $2.8
million grant from the NJ Green Acres program and $2.8 million from the Essex County
Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. The County officially took possession of the
property on March 1st.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system
established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and
has 17 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller
skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range and two off-leash dog facilities.
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