Historic Preservation Commission announces the 2024 Flag Award Winner: 11 Watchung Avenue

On May 10th, the HPC presented the first “Jan Westfall Flag Award” of 2024 to Joe and Barbara (Burke) Powers who recently completed work on their 1888 vintage home at 11 Watchung Avenue. 

In undertaking their most recent project, the Powers cleverly expanded the kitchen, and relocated the first-floor half bath to a very small addition that was previously a gap between the main house and the garage, all while preserving the home’s historic character.  In selecting new exterior paint colors, the Powers researched house colors of the late 1800’s, and their decisions were spot on.

As you know, the HPC’s “Flag Award” is a longtime Chatham tradition started in the 1980's and given to Chatham residents and business owners in the Chatham Main Street Historic District to acknowledge an outstanding restoration of an existing property that preserves the character and charm of the Borough of Chatham.  The projects do not have to be large, expensive, or complex in scope.  Joe and Barbara Powers certainly did their homework and have done a wonderful job with their small addition and the preservation work on their beautiful home. 

The Powers family did extensive research on the house and discovered that one of the previous owners was William Pieper, an architect involved in the construction of the Hartley Dodge Memorial/Town Hall in Madison, and the former Chatham Middle School (now the ECLC).  The house has gone through many changes over the years; the Powers have photographs of the house before some those changes were made, including a photo of the house with its entrance on the west side of the front elevation and another of the house without a garage.