A Bergen County woman is fighting to save a mansion that is over a century old.
The Blauvelt Mansion was built in Oradell before the 1900s and set the standard for higher living. But it has sat empty for nearly a decade.
“Only three families have lived there, I mean that is really just an amazing thing,” says JoAnn Young, who runs the “Save the Blauvelt” committee with her husband.
The 25-room historic mansion sits off of busy Kinderkamack Road. The last family that moved out of the mansion left empty and nothing has been done with it since.
“I’ve thought it many times that this was a lost cause, but I’ve never really given up,” says Young.
It seemed that a nursing home was going to open inside the mansion, but it was twice rejected by town officials. Care One bought the mansion in foreclosure in 2013, but there haven’t been any updates.
Young says that Care One is looking to sell the mansion. Representatives for Care One couldn’t tell News 12 New Jersey any updates. County and local officials were also not available for comment.
But Young says that she sees the mansion as a place to bring people together and she wants to see it flourish.
"People are interested. They want it, so I’m very hopeful that something is gonna happen,” she says.