Stewardship, Preservation, and the Work of Time
As the owner and operator of Idylease in West Milford, New Jersey, I understand that I am only a temporary steward of this historic landmark. I am fourth in a line of owner-operators who have made the preservation of this structure part of their life’s work. That responsibility is never far from my daily activity.
Preservation is not simply about saving old buildings. At its best, it allows the past to remain in conversation with the present. Architecture is one of the clearest expressions of history and place. A building holds evidence of the people who lived, worked, recovered, waited, and passed through its rooms.
By preserving historic structures, we preserve more than wood, stone, plaster, and glass. We preserve the spaces where earlier generations lived their lives. These places allow us to encounter the aesthetic, cultural, and human history of another era in a way that cannot be recreated once it is lost.
There is no opportunity to save a historic site after it is gone. And we can never know with certainty what future generations will come to value.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once said, “If we don’t care about our past, we cannot hope for the future. … I desperately care about saving old buildings.” Her words remain true. Preservation is not nostalgia. It is an act of care directed toward the future.
Every day, I think about my father, Dr. Arthur Zampella, and about Dr. Edgar Day and Dr. Daniel Drake, who came before me at Idylease. I also think about the many people who have passed through its doors since New Year’s Day in 1903.
When my hand runs along the stairway banister, I know other hands have touched the same wood. Patients, doctors, nurses, guests, workers, families, and visitors all left some part of themselves here.
That is where preservation begins for me.
Not with ownership.
With contact.
I am honored to play a small role in the continuing preservation of Idylease, and in carrying this historic landmark forward for future generations.
—Richard Zampella