richard zampella – IDYLEASE: A HISTORIC LANDMARK

Porch Restoration Project December 2022

December 9, 2022 No Comments

As a preservationist I am aware that I am only a temporary steward of this historic structure. I have the honor of being the 4th owner of Idylease in a line that dates back to 1903. I am a proponent that past can educate. Architecture as an example, is a direct and substantial representation of history and that places can teach us about our past. By preserving historic structures, we are able to share the very spaces and environments in which the generations before us lived. Preserving historic buildings―whether related to someone famous or recognizably dramatic―strangers are able to witness the aesthetic and cultural history of an area. Old buildings maintain a sense of permanency and heritage. There is no chance to renovate or to save a historic site once it’s gone. And we can never be certain what will be valued in the future. It is a labor of love that I spend my time to ensure that Idylease remains standing for future generations to learn from and enjoy. These past few weeks I spent my days replicating the orginal architectural detailing of the porch columns at Idylease on my wood lathe. My days are often occupied with my effort to restore the structure to its original condition when Idylease opened it door on New Year’s Day in 1903

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Martel Carl Grays: 1911-1975

May 8, 2021 No Comments

Carl Grays at Idylease — Carl awarded Outstanding Employee pin in 1964 on the lobby staircase at Idylease. Carl was awarded for 10 years of meritorious service. Business Administrator Neil Malloy is pictured on the left and my father, Dr. Arthur Zampella on the right.

West Milford was not the most hospitable place for African Americans in this Community in the 1950s. Jake McNeir would tell stories of befriending Carl Grays in the early 50s and how he was given a hard time and found himself defending Carl against racist remarks.

Carl was the Maintenance Supervision of a high rise on Park Avenue when my father met him in 1949. When my dad purchased Idylease in 1954, he asked Carl to come with him. Their friendship spanned over 20 years. When Carl died in 1975, my father oversaw his funeral and burial arrangements. As a nine year old, I had never seen my father shed a tear until that quiet December morning at the Newfoundland Methodist Cemetery.

Carl Grays was born on April 16, 1911 in Philadelphia. He died in on December 24, 1975 in Newfoundland, NJ. He was raised in Harris County, a suburb of Huston, Texas. He had a sister named Lillian Richardson who resided at 1408 Yates Street in Huston. Carl enlisted in the United States Army during WWll in Milwaukee Wisconsin on August 15, 1940. He was honorably discharged in 1945 with the rank of Sergeant. Carl spent the latter part of his life as the maintenance supervisor of Idylease Nursing Home in Newfoundland, NJ. He passed away in his cottage at Idylease on Christmas Eve in 1975.

I spent this morning at the cemetery cleaning Carl’s headstone. He will always be remembered by me for his soft spoken quiet demeanor and ever present smile. Gone but not forgotten.

-Richard Zampella
May 7, 2021

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Dr Arthur Zampella’s Bond with Ernest Hemingway

April 1, 2021 2 Comments

There was a bond my father had with Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway had re-shaped the definition of masculinity of American males in the 1940s and 1950s. A large segment of these men fashioned themselves after Hemingway, taking their cues from his sense of adventurism.

Dr. Arthur Zampella was not immune from the influences of Hemingway’s works as a writer. So much was that influence, that he purchased the sister ship of La Bella Lola [originally christened as the Fairweather] that was built for Hemingway in the Cayman Islands in 1947.

Idylease indoor pool — A Hemingway Relic on the Walls of Idylease

In 1948, may dad took the schooner on a Hemingway inspired deep sea fishing trip and landed a 12 foot sailfish off the coast of Venezuela. That fish hangs on the wall of the indoor pool at Idylease to this very day: A relic connected to Ernest Hemingway hanging on walls of Idylease. How cool is that?

The boat was moored in the Long Island Sound for many years before it tore loose in a hurricane and ended up on the rocks at Atlantic Highlands in New Jersey. The vessel was unable to be salvaged. A sad ending to a vibrant period of my dads life.

At my dads funeral in 1992, his best friend Andy Bertone, laughed about a drunken night in the 50s when they attempted to board the schooner and impress their dates with a stolen row boat. They all gave up because they simply couldn’t find the boat in the pitch dark.

Little would my father know that many years later, the connection with Hemingway would culminate with a documentary I produced on Ernest Hemingway with John Mulholland and his daughter Shannon. The film received a Critics Pic from the New York Times in 2013. Post production work was completed at Idylease, with my father being a constant inspiration to help tell the story.

Patrick Hemingway; Ernest’s last surviving son, was fascinated by the odd connection between our fathers when we discussed it over dinner at the Yale Club a few years ago.

Special Feature – Writer/Director John Mulholland discusses Ernest Hemingway and his impact on author Elmore Leonard. Elmore Leonard: But Don’t Try to Write is a 2021 Official Selection at this weeks American Documentary and Animation Festival in Palm Springs, California. Produced & Edited by Richard Zampella at Transmultimedia Entertainment. Post production work completed at Idylease. Narrated by Campbell Scott. To learn more, visit: www.elmoredoc.com