Preserve Greystone has gone to court in hopes of halting demolition of the historic Kirkbride Building, centerpiece of the former Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital bordering Morris Plains and Parsippany.
“There is an opportunity to preserve this historic landmark for future generations and save the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in unnecessary demolition costs, but the Treasury needs to talk to the people who can get it done. They need to talk to private firms with the money and proper experience to put this massive structure to good use,” Preserve Greystone President John Huebner said in a statement.
The organization’s lawyer, James F. Sullivan Jr., of Connell Foley LLP, has filed a notice of appeal with the state Appellate Division seeking a review of the Treasury Department’s Aug. 11, 2014, decision to award a demolition contract.
Preserve Greystone contends that Treasury is violating the Historic Places Act by proceeding without an okay from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Treasury also acted in an “arbitrary and unreasonable” manner by not considering seven proposals from redevelopers, according to the preservationists.
Contractors must remove asbestos and other hazardous materials before knocking down the 138-year-old, 675-000-square-foot Kirkbride Building. Once a beacon for progressive treatment of mental illness, the massive structure fell into disrepair in its later years and was closed in 2008.
The state maintains that the $34.5 million demolition is cheaper than the alternatives.
