This includes primarily the preservation and interpretation of the Oswald J. Nitschke House (c. 1880). The Kenilworth Historical Society, Inc., established in 1974, is an independent, volunteer-based, non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to researching Kenilworth, N.J.’s past, saving its material culture and preserving its heritage. Nitschke House (c. 1880), representative of the
founding and development of Kenilworth; the political, social and economic forces and cultural traditions that shaped the community; and the rich history of Kenilworth from its early settlement to the present. The organization also is committed to fostering an appreciation of the cultural arts. The Kenilworth Historical Society has owned and operated the historic Oswald J. Nitschke House since July 2003, when it moved the then-threatened building (acquired as a donation from Dr. Jerome Forman) 1,500 ft. from the corner of the Boulevard and South 21 Street (its historic setting) to its present location at 49 South 21 Street (land acquired with the help of the Kenilworth Veterans Center, former owner of the property, and a matching N.J. DEP Green Acres grant). Since that time, the Kenilworth Historical Society, in accordance with a multiphase Historic Preservation Plan, has restored and transformed the house into Kenilworth’s first (and only) “living history” museum and cultural arts center, a major heritage tourism destination. The site features five period rooms (authentically furnished in the late 19th-/early 20th-century style) for “living history” programs on the first floor; three rooms for historical/cultural exhibits that present local history in the context of regional, N.J. history on the second floor; a cultural arts center for meetings, programs, community celebrations and other activities on the lower level; and heirloom and “teaching” gardens that support the site’s multicultural garden-to-table foodways program. An elevator and paved walkways make the building and environs fully accessible to people of all abilities. The Nitschke House, one of Kenilworth’s original clapboard-clad, wood frame farmhouses, is the most notable of the community’s few remaining 19th-century buildings. Originally a three-bay, L-shaped building, it is now square in shape due to an early-1900s addition to the front, which features a simple columned porch. The house is listed in the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. It derives its historical significance primarily from its association with Oswald J. Nitschke (1867-1934), a prominent local pioneer and influential political leader who came to Kenilworth (formerly known as New Orange) as a young German immigrant in 1899, at the height of the area’s first major building boom, and became heavily involved in the early development of the community. He purchased the house now named for him in 1905 and owned it during the period of his greatest significance to Kenilworth history (1905-1934). Nitschke was among the first individuals to advocate for the incorporation of Kenilworth in 1907. After serving on the borough council for several years, he was elected mayor in 1919, a post that he held for a record five terms within the period 1920-1933. One of his most significant achievements was giving the borough its first major artery and opening up a vast tract for development by extending its unique 120-foot-wide Boulevard through the County Park System to Cranford. The Nitschke House is an important focal point and tool for interpreting Kenilworth history in the context of local, state and national development related to immigration and the contributions of different cultures to American society, the national economy, American politics and government. Unlike other historic house museums in the area, the Nitschke House provides the opportunity to learn about everyday life in the early 1900s, particularly the universally relevant, inspiring story of late 19th-/early 20th-century immigrants in a developing suburb, as portrayed by Oswald J. Nitschke, his wife Anna and their two sons, and the many challenges that they and other immigrants faced at the time. Recognized as Central New Jersey’s Museum of American Immigration, the Nitschke House features year-round programs with universally relevant themes that “bring cultures and history together” in a setting where people of all ages, cultures, backgrounds, economic levels and abilities may learn about and celebrate the rich history and diverse cultures that have contributed to the growth, development and prosperity of Kenilworth and surrounding communities. The Nitschke House preservation project has been widely supported on local, county and state levels for demonstrating the value of historic preservation and benefiting the community as a whole. It was recognized by the State of New Jersey with a 2008 N.J. Historic Preservation Award and is among six N.J. preservation projects highlighted as “Success Stories” in the N.J. Historic Preservation Plan (2011-2016).
