Woodbury New Jersey

Woodbury Old-City Restoration Committee

Ensuring our future by preserving the past.

Woodbury Olde-City Restoration Committee’s Mission Statement

To protect existing historical structures within the City of Woodbury by actively restoring endangered landmarks and structures.

To inspire community pride in Woodbury by acknowledging homes and businesses that shows excellence in restoration and beautification.

To support programs that address Woodbury’s challenges and eradicate problems that erode our quality of life.

By doing so, WORC strives to keep Woodbury’s rich historical culture intact and allows the City of Woodbury to promote itself as an ideal location for families to settle and businesses to thrive.

History of the Woodbury Olde-City Restoration Committee

In 1977, Woodbury attorney, John Holston, Jr., organized a group of spirited Woodbury citizens with the goals of preserving and promoting historic Woodbury, New Jersey. Settled over 300 hundred years ago by an English Quaker family named Wood, the city of Woodbury is endowed with a lengthy and colorful history. Woodbury Olde-City Restoration Committee, often known locally as “WORC”, set its sights on preserving the historic character and the historic structures of the city.

Highlights of WORC’s accomplishments include:

• The purchase and complete restoration of two historic homes in Woodbury, 77 East Centre St. and 30 East Centre St.
• The installation of the twinkle lights on Broad St. and the Victorian lamp- posts along Cooper St. and Lake Dr.
• The restoration and relocation of the Watchman’s Shack, now located in Hendrikson Park . This building is now the oldest surviving Conrail watchman’s shack in New Jersey.
• Spearheading the drive for the five state-designated Historic Districts of Woodbury.
• Saving the Congress building from demolition by the county in order to build a parking lot.
• The complete restoration of the Woodbury Train Station.
• The support of Woodbury activities such as Colonial Day, the Block Party, and the Summer Concert Series.

Current Projects:

Woodbury Clock Project at the Woodbury Train Station

The City of Woodbury, in partnership with Woodbury Old City Restoration, is working on a community project to bring a Verdin Clock to the Train Station in the City of Woodbury.

The Woodbury Olde-City Restoration Committee Grant Program

Jay Stone and his fiancee Gail Mills are the first announced recipients of the WORC $5,000 per unit grant for restoring a home back to single family status. The house they are renovating is on West Street. Shown with them is former WORC President Keith DiMarino.

The Woodbury Olde-City Restoration Committee is committed to helping preserve the beauty of Woodbury, while promoting home ownership in our town. Partnering with the City of Woodbury, WORC and officials at City Hall are implementing a program to reduce the number of apartment homes in our city.

Over the years, a large number of beautiful old homes have been subdivided into apartments. Many of these apartment houses have since fallen into disrepair. To stimulate property improvement in Woodbury, WORC and the City of Woodbury have developed an incentive program to encourage converting apartment buildings back into single-family residences.

Under this new program the City of Woodbury will provide a $500 credit towards permit fees and a 5-year tax abatement on a home’s increased value. WORC will pay 50% of an owner’s permit fees above the city’s $500 credit and further, we will offer a grant of up to $5,000 for each apartment removed from a property. In doing so we will be able to greatly impact neighborhoods affected by a large number of apartment homes.

Applications to participate in this incentive program are available below or at the City Construction Office.