RED BANK: NURTURING FORTUNE’S LEGACY

Oct 9, 2023

T. Thomas Fortune, below, and the cultural center dedicated to him in his onetime Red Bank home, above. (Above photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

With an exhibit examining the history of America’s Black press opening October 28 at Red Bank’s T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, redbankgreen presents this feature story, written for CivicStory, about the center’s namesake.

By DEBORAH YAFFE

When the Black newspaper editor and civil-rights activist T. Thomas Fortune moved to Red Bank in the summer of 1901, his arrival was front-page news. “Mr. Fortune is one of the most noted colored men of the country,” the Red Bank Register reported.

But a century later, the elegant Red Bank home that Fortune’s family called Maple Hall stood vandalized and derelict, its brick foundation crumbling, its windows boarded up. Still, the once-grand old place caught Gilda Rogers’ eye whenever she passed by. “That home probably was something really special in its heyday,” she would think.

She wasn’t wrong.

October 9, 2023 - 8:00 am |

RED BANK: HOUSE TO BE RAZED (AGAIN)

Jul 13, 2023

A plan to redevelop a stretch of Shrewsbury Avenue in Red Bank was withdrawn almost two years ago. So why is a house on the site boarded up, with a bright red X painted on the front door?

What’s Going On Here?

July 13, 2023 - 7:00 am |

RED BANK: GARDEN CONDOS TO BLOOM AT LAST?

Apr 21, 2023

Formerly known as Azalea Gardens, the project will feature townhouses and two cottages. (Renderings by Thomas J. Brennan Architects. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

In the works for more than two decades, a housing development featuring a lush garden in downtown Red Bank will finally begin construction this summer, its principals said Thursday night.

Formerly known as Azalea Gardens, with a new name to be determined, the 16-home project now pairs longtime owner Ray Rapcavage with borough-based developer Roger Mumford, who’s built more than 4,000 homes in his career.

April 21, 2023 - 8:30 am |

RED BANK: MUMFORD YANKS APARTMENT PLAN

Sep 17, 2021

Linda Clark addressing Roger Mumford at Thursday’s hearing. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Developer Roger Mumford withdrew his controversial proposal for a 20-unit apartment building on Shrewsbury Avenue in Red Bank Thursday night.

The move, coming moments before an expected up-or-down vote by the zoning board, was a win for residents who opposed the plan as gentrifying to a low-income area.

September 17, 2021 - 7:30 am |

RED BANK: KEEPING FORTUNE’S VOICE ALIVE

Aug 9, 2021

Suubi Mondesir with Fortune Foundation co-chair Gilda Rogers last month. Below, Mondesir, second from right, on a 2016 tour of the Fortune house led by builder Roger Mumford. (Photos by Chris Ern, above, and John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By CHRIS ERN

In the summer of 2016, Suubi Mondesir was a rising junior at Red Bank Regional High School when she participated in a tour of a crumbling Red Bank house.

At the time, preservationists envisioned the building on Drs. James Parker Boulevard as a cultural center in honor of its onetime owner, the civil rights journalist T. Thomas Fortune, and Mondesir was present as a participant in the Hugh N. Boyd Journalism Diversity Workshop at Rutgers University.

Flash forward to 2021: The house has been fully restored as the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, and Suubi (pronounced SOO-vee) manages its media outreach efforts as an intern. But it’s not just a job. Her work at the center aligns with a personal passion for social justice, inspired by Fortune’s work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she told redbankgreen in an interview last month.

“What he did is what I am hoping to do as well: to inspire people with my writing, and to speak truth to power,” Mondesir said.

August 9, 2021 - 7:30 am |

RED BANK: MUMFORD SHRINKS PLAN AGAIN

Jul 7, 2021

The latest changes to plan for 234-240 Shrewsbury Avenue reduced the building to three stories, from four, shown below. (Renderings by Thomas J. Brennan Architects. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Developer Roger Mumford has again reduced the size of a proposed apartment building on Shrewsbury Avenue in Red Bank.

Whether the zoning board will hear the details at its July 15 meeting is unclear, however. Also on the ambitious agenda: a mixed-used project next door to the borough library; an “exotic car rental” business in a downtown office building; and a gym on residential property.

July 7, 2021 - 6:30 am |

RED BANK: PROJECT GETS NO BOARD SUPPORT

Jun 18, 2021

Twenty apartments would be built above stores at 234-240 Shrewsbury Avenue under a revised plan by developer Roger Mumford. (Rendering by Thomas J. Brennan Architects. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A plan for 20 apartments and new retail space on Shrewsbury Avenue found no support from the Red Bank zoning board Thursday night.

It’s too tall, too dense, and too out of step with where things should be going, board members told developer Roger Mumford after three hours of testimony.

June 18, 2021 - 7:50 am |

RED BANK: APARTMENT PLANS BACK ON DECK

Jun 15, 2021

Twenty apartments would be built above stores at 234-240 Shrewsbury Avenue under a revised plan by developer Roger Mumford. (Rendering by Thomas J. Brennan Architects. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Two proposed apartment buildings just blocks apart on Shrewsbury Avenue return to Red Bank zoning board for possible approval Thursday night. More →

June 15, 2021 - 12:30 pm |

RED BANK: APARTMENT HEARINGS DELAYED

May 21, 2021

After revisions, a plan to build a house in front of the existing four-family at 70 Locust Avenue was approved. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Much of Red Bank’s zoning board agenda was scrapped Thursday night, when hearings on plans for several large apartment projects had to be rescheduled.

But the board got some work done, approving a plan for new house single-family house on Locust Avenue.

May 21, 2021 - 7:00 am |

RED BANK: VIEWS SPLIT ON MUMFORD PLAN

Mar 19, 2021

A rendering of the building, dubbed The Parker, proposed for Shrewsbury Avenue at River Street. (Image by Thomas J. Brennan Architects. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A proposal for four stories of new retail and apartments on Shrewsbury Avenue got mixed reviews at Thursday’s meeting of the Red Bank zoning board.

It’s “huge,” said a board member and one resident. It’s a welcome replacement to the two vacant homes now on the site, said two other commenters.

March 19, 2021 - 7:59 am |

RED BANK: APARTMENTS & STORES PROPOSED

Mar 16, 2021

Two houses on Shrewsbury Avenue at River Street would be demolished to make way for the project, dubbed The Parker at Red Bank. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A proposal for new stores topped by three floors of apartments is slated for review by the Red Bank zoning board this week.

Developer Roger Mumford‘s plan would transform half a block of Shrewsbury Avenue, but first needs multiple variances.

March 16, 2021 - 2:30 pm |

RED BANK: HOUSING LOTTERY SLATED

Nov 26, 2019

The Catherine Street side of the new Brownstones townhouse project. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Two new townhouse units on Red Bank’s West Side will be available for purchase at a fraction of their market value following a lottery next month.

November 26, 2019 - 8:20 am |

RED BANK: JOURNOS HONOR FORTUNE HOUSE

Jul 30, 2019

The recently restored T. Thomas Fortune House in Red Bank has earned a new distinction: it’s been named a National Historic Site in Journalism by the Society of Professional Journalists.

July 30, 2019 - 8:00 am |

RED BANK: FORTUNE CULTURAL CENTER OPENS

May 24, 2019

Dozens of supporters gathered on the front lawn for the opening of the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center. Below, a view of the ceremony from inside the restored house. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

More than a century after the departure of its most famous resident, the T. Thomas Fortune House in Red Bank reopened Thursday as a cultural center dedicated to his mission of advancing civil and human rights.

May 24, 2019 - 9:00 am |

RED BANK: FORTUNE ‘MIRACLE’ COMPLETED

Feb 21, 2019

The restored T. Thomas Fortune House on Drs. James Parker Boulevard plans to formally open as a cultural center in May. Below, restoration supervisor Spencer Foxworth and foundation member Robin Blair examine a chandelier to be installed. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

An against-the-odds, decade-long effort to save a Red Bank house that was once the home of a pioneering civil rights journalist has reached its improbable conclusion, people involved in the effort say.

This weekend, local history lovers will get their first-ever chance to tour the T. Thomas Fortune House, a National Historic Register structure that not long ago was about to be razed.

February 21, 2019 - 11:00 am |

RED BANK: WHAT’S GOING ON AT GLASS SHOP?

Nov 15, 2018

Demolition work began recently on the interior of the former Atlantic Glass shop in Red Bank.

What’s Going On Here? Click ‘read more’ for the latest intel.

November 15, 2018 - 11:40 am |

RED BANK: FINAL FADEOUT FOR GUITAR PLANT

Jul 27, 2018

Now being developed for townhomes, the lot between Catherine and River streets was once home to the Danelectro guitar factory. Below, a Danelectro with the distinctive “coke bottle” headstock. (Photo above by John T. Ward, below courtesy of Lorie Mouklas. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Without fanfare, a half-dozen factory buildings on Red Bank’s West Side were leveled last month, making way for new homes.

Among the structures razed was one that deserves a final flick of the lighter from rock music fans. In the early days of rock ‘n roll, the building at 10 River Street churned out low-priced but distinctive-sounding electric guitars, some of which helped launch the careers of rock superstars such as Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page.

July 27, 2018 - 5:00 am |

RED BANK: MASKS ADD FLAIR TO MAYOR’S BALL

May 21, 2018

Not everyone at the fourth annual Red Bank Mayor’s Ball wore masks, but there were plenty of attendees adding touches of lacy, sparkly and feathery mystique to event, held Friday night at the Oyster Point Hotel to raise funds for Holiday Express and the borough’s animal welfare efforts.

Mayor Pasquale Menna, at right, hosted. Among those honored were Holiday Express founder Tim McLoone, who performed with the Atlantic Coast Band featuring the Shirleys, and Detour Gallery owner Kenny Schwartz, above right.

See who you know in redbankgreen’s photos below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

May 21, 2018 - 6:30 am |

RED BANK: MUMFORD DROPS PARKING BID

Jan 26, 2018

Developer Roger Mumford with a rendering of his proposal last June. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

One of the two remaining private-sector contenders to redevelop Red Bank’s White Street parking lot has pulled out, citing frustration in dealing with the borough government.

In the process, he left behind a pair of smoking tire tracks.

January 26, 2018 - 2:30 pm |

RED BANK: DEMS TO SEEK PARKING STUDY

Jan 12, 2018

Councilman Erik Yngstrom now heads the all-Democrat parking committee. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

After a post-election lull, Red Bank Democrats plan to bring in a parking consultant to offer guidance on how to fix parking issues downtown, Councilman Erik Yngstrom said Wednesday.

January 12, 2018 - 8:41 am |

RED BANK: SICKELS SENDOFF, H2O ON AGENDA

Dec 12, 2017

Stanley Sickels at a planning board meeting in 2013. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank’s most powerful unelected official is slated to get an official sendoff at the semimonthly council meeting Wednesday night.

Also on the agenda: the town’s heaviest water users would be subject to higher minimum charges under a measure slated for introduction.

December 12, 2017 - 10:00 am |

RED BANK: PARKING AGENDA IN TRANSITION

Dec 4, 2017

A builder may be chosen to redevelop the White Street lot this month, and a parking study could soon follow. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Amid recriminations and calls for a fresh start, Democrats began taking the wheel in the drive for a possible new parking structure in downtown Red Bank last week.

December 4, 2017 - 8:20 am |

RED BANK: NEW HISTORY IN FORTUNE HOUSE

Nov 14, 2017

Restoration work on the T. Thomas Fortune house is underway in conjunction with the construction of 31 apartments behind it, where an elevator tower is visible. Below, builder Roger Mumford shows off an original decorative corbel removed from just below the roof line of the house, and, in his left hand, a replica made from mahogany. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

After a decade-long effort to save it from the wrecking ball, Red Bank’s T. Thomas Fortune house is in the midst of a restoration that has served up some additional history.

Part of the Second Empire-style mansion on Drs. James Parker Boulevard may be much older than previously believed, says developer Roger Mumford, who is racing to conserve what he can of the structure even as it crumbles before his eyes.

November 14, 2017 - 11:00 am |

RED BANK: BUILDERS BALK AT ‘NET 500’

Sep 28, 2017

Roger Mumford unveiled a new version of his development plan, one that calls for a park along Maple Avenue between White and Monmouth streets, seen at right in the rendering above. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The two finalists vying for the right to redevelop Red Bank’s White Street parking lot both raised concerns about their ability to meet a non-negotiable condition set by downtown merchants: that a new garage add no fewer than 500 public parking spaces to the 273-already there.

Moreover, one of the builders insisted that a definitive study to determine the actual parking deficit downtown is needed, a claim that some business owners have dismissed as an unnecessary speed bump en route to what they contend is a decades-overdue parking solution.

September 28, 2017 - 7:00 am |

RED BANK: PARKING GETS TWO SPOTLIGHTS

Sep 27, 2017

An effort to redevelop Red Bank’s largest downtown parking lot — and, some would say, ensure the economic viability of the downtown as a whole — moves to a new stage Wednesday night.

Or, more precisely, it moves onto two stages.

September 27, 2017 - 6:25 am |

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