CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — Cape May Court House has changed quite a lot in the past 20 years, adjusting the borders, the size and even the definition of what kind of town it is.
The bustling county seat, one square mile in size, of a mostly rural county — albeit a rural county with some very popular barrier islands attached — has expanded.
What has not changed? It’s still got the courthouse; it’s still the home of medical offices, schools and shopping; and it still boasts some of the finest old housing stock in southern New Jersey.
The home at 14 Fox Run Road is a perfect example, though to be clear its position between the Cape May County Park and Zoo and the Crest Haven Complex puts it rather at the northern edge of Court House.
To anyone growing up nearby, this was a magical neighborhood: the early days of the zoo provided legends of giraffes escaping to backyards across the street, the roar of Newmar the Lion serving as an alarm clock for the entire area and the crucial artery of Crest Haven between the Garden State Parkway and Route 9 was allegedly the first to be plowed in any snowstorm. (allegedly.)
What most people never saw was the tiny hamlet of homes tucked in a small coppice of trees just behind the turning of Fox Run Road, a few hundred feet south of Crest Haven Road on Route 9.
Back in this private enclave, the home at the farthest lot had been quietly waiting, overlooking the marshy surround of Holmes Creek and out of sight from passing cars from either Route 9 or the parkway.
The trees muted the sound of traffic and the creek provided refuge for elusive blue herons and the songs of spring frogs. It’s hard to imagine a more timeless depiction of life in Cape May County.
The home was built in the year 1900, a great year for heart wood beams and master craftsmen, drifting ashore to build homes as strong as the boats on which they’d learned. While the islands reflected more of the fashions of the day, this home was retro even then, built in a style more reminiscent of the Colonial past than the Victorian present.
Multiple additions have extended the back of the house in the same way the real 18th century farmhouses tended to drift backward, preserving the dignified entry but nearly doubling the home’s space to an impressive 2,420 square feet.
That dignified entry is currently flanked by two soaring sycamore trees, symmetrical garden beds and a wrought-iron fence.
The red brick foundation and slate-blue door and window trim is self-consciously older than the houses one passed to reach this vintage cul-de-sac, somehow reassuring that this home is built to last. No indication is given of the many modern conveniences and upgrades inside.
Once the door opens, however, modernity arrives as light: anyone who has lived or worked in a true Colonial-era structure knows well how dark those interior spaces are, and can immediately spot the difference.
This is a bright and comfortable home. The beautiful wood floors, exposed beams in the front parlor, the corner cabinets built into the dining room, even the stone hearth reaching from the floor to the vaulted ceiling in the family room at the back of the house cannot disguise that this home has been brought up to date by careful hands.
The floors seem too level, for one thing, and the open plan of the spacious kitchen and dining area too comfortable, to be a real Colonial-era home. The combination of late-Victorian craftsmanship and modern rehabilitation creates a home that looks like modern movie audiences imagine the late 18th century to look: all graceful symmetry, clean lines, pale paint colors contrasting the deep shades of slow-growth wood in the floors and furniture. This aesthetic choice continues all through the home and its outbuildings.
The first floor is taken up with the central hall, the front parlor with its lovely brick-lined fireplace, the great room containing the kitchen and dining area, and the bright back living room with the stone hearth and high white-washed ceilings, almost distracting from the picture window with a view of the grasses surrounding Holmes Creek.
Nautical elements vie with traditional farmhouse pieces in a way that feels absolutely right for old-school Cape May County. The kitchen continues the feeling of handmade furniture with simple white cabinets topped with crown molding, the shining dark granite countertops, and an island that offers a small breakfast bar before one reaches the large dining area. A utility room, closets and a half-bath finish up the first floor.
The gleaming wood staircase leads up to the top floor, where three bedrooms and two full baths await. The rooms have all been maintained in the same style as the rest of the house, the baths with fresh tiles and fixtures, and the bedrooms all painted the same gray-blue shade.
One bedroom has a fireplace, one appears to be tucked under a bend in the roof, creating some architectural interest, and the third has an exposed beam at the end of the bed. In every inch of this home, every effort has been made to keep the historic charm.
In addition to the house itself, there is a detached garage with room for two cars and a comfortable home office next door. Ideal for an artist, carpenter or lawyer, this space makes working from home much easier, and allows one to see clients without having to invite all and sundry into the family home.
There is so much more to see in this property, including the patio, the filtered water system, the updated electrical system, the central air conditioning and, above all, the incredible natural beauty all around this home.
