Save the Queen City works to improve the lives and economic well-being of Plainfield residents through the promotion of historic preservation. We watch the landmarks. We show up at the hearings. We keep the record.
Plainfield is the Queen City — a place of Victorian mansions, Colonial Revival streetscapes, and civic buildings that tell the story of a New Jersey city at its height. Much of it is still standing. Not all of it is safe.
We are volunteers, neighbors, and homeowners. We monitor endangered landmarks, attend Planning Board and City Council hearings, retain planners and counsel when the record demands it, and make the case that preservation and prosperity are the same argument.
About the organizationRegistered Plainfield historic sites and districts under active threat — from demolition, from neglect, or from redevelopment designations that strip away historic review.
Years of neglect and litigation. New ownership raises the question again: restoration, or another loss?
What's happening: After years of neglect and litigation, Abbott Manor has new ownership — and its future is an open question: restoration, or another loss.
Where it stands: Privately owned. No restoration plan has been made public. STQC is watching for permit applications and any redevelopment filings.
What can be done: Attend Planning Board meetings when Abbott is on the agenda, report changing conditions at the property to us, and volunteer for the research team building its record.
A city-owned house inside a designated historic district, headed to redevelopment without Historic Preservation Commission review.
What's happening: The Dudley House at 930 Putnam Avenue is city-owned, sits inside a designated historic district, and is headed to redevelopment without Historic Preservation Commission review.
Where it stands: STQC has issued a formal public statement and filed suit in Superior Court challenging the redevelopment designation (Resolution 274-26). The city has been served and the case is proceeding. Statement & lawsuit coverage.
What can be done: Show up when it reaches the Planning Board or City Council, and ask one question on the record: why has this not gone before the HPC?
The church has been sold — a battle STQC did not win, and a lesson in acting before the crisis.
What happened: Grace Episcopal Church has been sold — a battle STQC did not win. Our objection did not carry the day.
Where it stands: The sale is complete. Read the parish's account of the sale.
What can be done: The lesson is timing: stewardship plans must come before the crisis. If you know a congregation or owner weighing a landmark's future, connect them with us early.
The reuse plan advanced over STQC's objection at the State Historic Sites Council — an early loss that taught us to engage sooner.
What happened: The YMCA's proposed reuse advanced over STQC's objection at the State Historic Sites Council review (Project #25-2216-4) — a loss from our earliest days.
Where it stands: The state review has run its course. What remains is watching how the reuse is executed against what was approved.
What can be done: Follow the board agendas for anything YMCA-related on Documents, and tell us if site conditions change.
Preservation is won and lost in public meetings. Here is where to be, and what we are doing.
Agendas, schedules, and what to watch for. We post a plain-English read on the items that touch historic property.
Meeting scheduleSunday, December 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Eight homes in the historic districts, open for one afternoon. Check back for the announcement and ticket availability.
STQC Holiday House Tour — Sunday, December 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Plainfield historic districts.
Add a placeholder to your calendar now. Homes, tickets, and the starting point will be announced closer to the date.
Google Calendar · Outlook.com · Apple & other calendars (.ics)
Guided walks through the Van Wyck Brooks, Putnam-Watchung, and Civic districts. Free and open to all.
2026 preservation walks
Guided, free, and open to all. Fall dates are being finalized and will be announced here and on the email list:
• Van Wyck Brooks district — date to be announced
• Putnam-Watchung district — date to be announced
• Civic district — date to be announced
Join the email list to be notified the moment dates are set.
Our attorney cross-examined the city’s planner; our own licensed planner testified that the statutory standards were not met. The Planning Board granted a continuance.
A city-owned house inside a designated historic district, headed to redevelopment without Historic Preservation Commission review.
Three steps — a rule change, a redevelopment designation, an exemption — and a protected building is no longer protected.
A 501(c)(3) NJ nonprofit corporation
EIN 92-0371449
savethequeencity@gmail.com