The Trials of Doris documents the ongoing interest of a Gilded Age Estate in its second life in the headlines of international news. Home of the late tobacco baroness, Doris Duke, the Duke Estate in New Jersey was the center of heated debate and question starting in 2008 and again in 2015. We will continue coverage of the estate throughout the years.
Our first photo gallery (Owned by RetroRevival) from our day out in the fields at Duke Estate; the local icon of controversy and irony in absentia of the benefactor’s beloved home~ Enjoy, darlings.
Something that was discussed and thrown away during the Hillsborough Historical Preservation Committee meetings was the will of Doris Duke. In short, the will was seen as irrelevant to the case of if they could or couldn’t demolish. Demolition neglects article 5 C 1 of Miss Duke’s Will!
5.C. 1. “The bequests to my employees under this Subdivision C are in gratitude for their past services rendered to me and my foundations. It is my hope and expectation that my Executors and Trustees and the foundations in which I am a member, director, trustee or officer at my death or which are to be created under this Will shall employ as many of these persons as reasonably possible in order to maintain my various properties and to operate these foundations after my death. The determination of my Executors as to the persons to receive a bequest under this Subdivision C and the amount of each such bequest shall be binding and conclusive on all interested persons.”
Feel free to scroll through the entire will, but to give you a picture of Miss Duke’s desires the word maintain(or the like) is used NINE TIMES!
The word DEMOLISH was used ONCE ; “To manage, maintain, improve, lease (for any term whether or not extending beyond the term of the trusts created by this Will or the term fixed by any law), mortgage, partition or otherwise dispose of any real or personal property or any interest therein, to make repairs and alterations in any buildings now or hereafter located on any such property or to demolish the same, and to construct new buildings, all in such manner and upon such terms and conditions as they shall deem advisable;” This Article comes after 5 C 1 wherein it requests that her properties are maintained. The word “maintain” even comes before “demolish” in this clause!
If you want to check out the full document Miss Duke’s Will can be found at; http://livingtrustnetwork.com/estate-planning-center/last-will-and-testament/wills-of-the-rich-and-famous/last-will-and-testament-of-doris-duke.html.
Another exclusive from the RetroRevival!!! The stay was rejected by the appellate division while an appeals process is contrived. Sadly, this may be the end for the beautiful gilded age mansion, but it is only the beginning of the reforms for the estate. This week the increasingly successful grassroots organization, DORIS, (for the preservation of the Doris Duke mansion in Hillsborough New Jersey) has chosen to take a new approach to addressing the necessary reform needed at the estate, Duke Farms. The group organized a media campaign calling for the resignation of the Farms’ executive director, Michael Catania. This information was gathered over the weekend and the group permitted us to be the first informants of this radical new approach to the debates.
Catania, who has worked as the director for two years, has alleged several claims while in township hearings and county court alike regarding the condition, facts and overall significance of the Main Residence that were later refuted or otherwise proven incorrect. This individual failed to provide any exhibits or documented evidence of his work that verifies the research done for adaptive reuse of the house, mold or asbestos complications/remediation, or his expertise on any of the chief complaints surrounding why the demolition is permissible.
Under his care, the farms underwent its second most historic case of negligence ever. Since the haphazard dismantling of the Garden of Nations in 2008 the foundation has never received so much public outcry. Certainly this outrage was not expected to have come this far, let alone succeed in its processes. Mr. Catania is responsible for the estate and its employees given his occupational position. Especially as of recently, he has become extremely defensive of the slightly-demolished structure, going as far as calling a K-9 unit of the police force to ask a professional, licensed, and legally operating drone pilot to go away. There was no conflict and no legal consequences were drawn. Catania is also notable for getting ‘building permits’ issued for the removal of architecturally significant pieces within the house when he was not granted a demolition permit. His deceit and lack of transparency does not reflect well on the foundation and their work. It was under his permission that the Main Residence at the Duke Estate was permitted to fall in March 2016. But we must forbid the Duke Estate from being in the wrong hands any further. Mistreatment is not permissible.
Do you agree with the suggested resignation of the Duke Farms director? Check out the DORIS group’s Twitter and Facebook campaign #CanCatania
Add your comments and this hashtag with #DukeFarms and @DorisDukeFdn so they will see how you feel! Share this with everyone and encourage them to engage in End the injustice and keep Doris and her loving father JB’s legacy alive. Be a part of the difference and make history with us! Most importantly, Save Duke ESTATE!
The fight for the mansion is far from over, but there is a lot more at risk here other than the historic home of Doris Duke. The mansion is in many ways symbolic of Miss Duke, and indeed the estate as a whole; it considered the crown jewel of the Duke estate, and this happens to be her favorite property . The threat and implementation of demolition goes far beyond the removal of the home. Though there are few, if any, displays that mention Doris and her role in the preservation of the gardens, flora and fauna, some still exist within every detail of the estate. In her time, she was greatly involved with the maintenance and care of all the gardens and greenhouses on the property, and many of these have fallen into disrepair under the care of the DFF in the mid 2000’s.
Some examples:
1. The Orchid range doesn’t have a single visible specimen of the Phalaenopsis Doris, a special orchid that was developed on the estate and named after its benefactor.
2. A. The garden of nations: Dismantled after decision was made by the trustees in 2008 (savedukegardens.org/). How ironic that this too had a successful opposition and was overturned. Nothing was gained by its destruction.
B. The many cultural gardens: uncared for, overgrown (outside) and abandoned.
This brings up a special consideration. Women’s history has forgotten her. Women’s rights and empowerment groups have not heard of her. Why is this? This destructive trail of events caused by the DDCF has erased her memory and her lasting impact from further encouraging future generations of women. Why would they do this? The answer is quite logical. This woman was never one to follow societal norms of any decade she lived through. She would protest, refute, and even threaten authority to maintain her personal integrity, her land, and any causes she felt strongly about. When anyone challenges the authorities, especially as a woman, there are sure to be negative social consequences- even today!
So here’s what we can learn from an empowering woman like Doris Duke:
There have been many unfounded comments comparing Doris to another heiress, one Paris Hilton, and this blatantly disregards how in the case of Hilton, she risked getting disowned by her family and I do not follow the tabloids, but if she was or wasn’t disowned by the Hiltons is irrelevant to me. Doris, while indeed an heiress to her family fortune, was a great entrepreneur and philanthropist. She grew her inheritance from millions into nearly 2 billion dollars, all the while preserving many historic homes in Newport RI, investing and growing her fortune, and giving generously to many charities. She did all of this while maintaining her many houses, and especially her home in Somerset County. The perception of Miss Duke as a spoiled heiress of the Duke fortune is an incredibly inaccurate portrayal of her, and her personal and business ethics. She was a woman who carried herself with dignity, and valued her privacy.
The attempted and desired demolition of her home on the Duke Estate by the foundations established in her last will and testament blatantly disregards the woman that made history on many occasions, first by successfully suing her mother in order to protect J.B. Duke’s fortune and legacy, and second by being one of the first women to win a legal dispute with her second husband, (forcing him to sign a prenuptial agreement). Her influence and generosity have been felt far and wide, and removing all memory and mention of her on the estate she entrusted to the DFF is a symptom of a greater social problem. When strong women challenge the status and power of social norms they are faced with ridicule and tabloid exploitation.
Please also see the recent pictures from the DORIS drone that prove just how little damage was done to the estate house here: http://www.centraljersey.com/news/hillsborough_beacon/hillsborough-drone-s-photos-show-doris-duke-residence-remains-largely/article_e02760c2-eb07-11e5-b097-8b05242e3fa9.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share
Keep Doris’s legacy and beautiful house on the map at Duke Farms! Want to help? Put a video up or a picture of you and your friends at the farms with the tags #DorisOnTheMap and #SaveDukeMansion and show your stuff! Share it with us at facebook.com/retrorevivalblog or on twitter @retrorevivalist Thank you to all our supporters!
http://www.clanorchids.com/pages/hybrids/bulbos/bdorisdukes.html
After a weekend of excitement in the grassroots, Doris Duke supporters have flooded the Internet. They seek reform in every possible dimension after seeing the destruction that the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is so interested in providing. Not only to protect the house, these citizens and dedicated supporters have now chosen to turn and ask questions about the people in charge and question the authority that a charitable foundation bred by a conservationist has to destroy the home of their original benefactor.Among the bustle rises the new lawsuit in appellate court. The parties will again produce their claims but this time… both plaintiff and defendant will present in front of three judges in a panel from the state of New Jersey. This is monumental and has made strides in the grassroots movement. It eliminates, or at least sharply reduces, any influence of small-town politics on the determination of how this case will resolve. It is extremely uplifting to the writers at Retro Revival to hear the news that superior courts have already ruled to protect the house.
Thank you especially to all those who are reading carefully- We thoroughly appreciate the resonating influence of asking the hard questions in this increasingly-intricate case to save the Estate!
Here’s what you can do to help get the right questions answered! Send in a complaint form to the New York State Chaities Bureau. Since the Doris Duke Charitable Foudation is hosted in New York City, the state receives their complaints even though the estate in question is in New Jersey. The form is available through our Facebook.com/Retrorevivalblog page. All you have to do is add some information to your form and mail it into the address on the top. Consider this the letter writing campaign you’ve all been waiting for! Hopefully this will trigger an investigation to clear up any potential problems within the whole charitable trust for the future. Its due time to honor the estate, the house, and the beautiful baroness benefactor that made all this possible. Stay curious and send in those forms! For any questions regarding how to fill our this form, email us at retrorevivalist@gmail.com.
This is another exclusive of the Trials of Doris! Only from the Retro Revival, this article serves as the post-hoc review of this weekend’s DORIS activities.
So what happened to turn the tables 180 degrees? How did the grassroots manage to put up their Dukes? At around midnight of March 6th, 2016, Judge Allison Accurso granted a ‘stop work’ order by the courts, and these papers were left to be delivered by the members of DORIS themselves. At approximately 6:45am the same morning, four members including representing attorney David Brook visited the residence of the executive director, Michael Catania, on the estate with copies of the court order in hand.
From there, Mr. Catania was skeptical of the intent of the perceived ‘enemy’, and in this hesitation, called local authorities to the scene. Once the police arrived, the protocol for the court order was explained in their presence to ensure the communication was clear and mediated. There were charges hopefully to be pressed against the DORIS members for trespassing, but law enforcement was kind enough to document that these citizens of the grassroots movement were acting as officers of the court, and their action of serving these papers was in perfect compliance with the laws. The anger and dismay radiated across the property and its staff throughout the day.
Our own Mr. Dylan had taken a stroll through the property hours after the papers were served to try to see the state of the house from the pedestrian-accessible paths, and all regularly open paths were blocked off. Dylan also noticed DFF trucks following him and reporting on his whereabouts. The only view left of the house on pedestrian accessible roads are severely obstructed by trees with limited view, any and all previously open paths going near the house are restricted, limiting a lot of the other sights on the estate that Ms. Duke wanted available to the public. (Header picture courtesy of RetroRevival).
The real question is why did duke farms close half the park to public access when everyone already knew what was going on? Surely their response would be ‘safety’ and to ensure ‘no one does anything stupid’. But think critically, dear readers. What do they truly have to hide? Why would they hide their actions if they are proud and confident? Sounds like shame to us at the Retro Revival. Ask questions, darlings- Stay curious!
GOOD MORNING DARLINGS! YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST AT THE RETRO REVIVAL BLOG:
THE MANSION AT DUKE FARMS IN HILLSBOROUGH, NEW JERSEY WILL NOT BE DEMOLISHED AS OF MARCH 6, 2016!
In this incredible turn of events the grassroots movement known as DORIS (Demolition of Residence is Senseless), sought an emergency court order to stop the demolition of tobacco heiress Doris Duke’s primary residence in the late evening hours following the beginning of its destruction on March 5th. Summarily, the representing attorney for the group, David Brook, successfully acquired a temporary halt to all actions on the estate’s mansion through the Appellate Division and a corresponding judge. It will be tried again and details are pending…
On Saturday, March 5th, demolition began on the iconic estate house, but damages were contained to the less historic, midcentury creation called the Hollywood Wing, whose construction was largely influenced by Duke’s second husband, Porfiro Rubirosa. The ancestral home built upon the Veghte Farmhouse is still intact.
So what now? Let your voice be heard! Put up your Dukes and join in the fight to save the Duke Estate!
Dorisduke1932@gmail.com
https://www.change.org/p/duke-farms-foundaton-preserve-the-duke-mansion
https://www.gofundme.com/dorisdukemansion
https://www.gofundme.com/dorisdukemansion
Like us on Facebook.com/retrorevivalblog
And follow us on Twitter @retrorevivalist
*All mentions of HTHPC are intended to exclude Tim Stollery who on public record has stated “I keep going back to the fact that Doris Duke had properties all around the world and she considered this one to be her home. If you look at the coach barn, and Buck Dukes’ desk is there, and the walk in safe, if the coach barn is Buck Duke, then the house is Doris, and yeah maybe it’s a little odd, maybe it’s a hodgepodge… It was called a white elephant, but it’s Doris Duke’s white elephant. She’s like (pause) you look at that wall over there and Ana Case (Opera Singer), and there’s a football player and an Olympic athlete, but Doris Duke, she’s known throughout the world, and we have her house here. I’m sorry but in my opinion, and I respect everybody else’s opinion, I respect the work that all the folks at Duke Farms do, but I’m gonna vote no, that we can’t knock down this house, we should fix it up so that we can teach future visitors, we have lots of visitors that come to Duke Farms for the environmental stewardship, and it’s an amazing place, but in my opinion it would be better if we kept the mansion, so I’m gonna vote no..”
“I vote no, and history will judge us, and I think this is a mistake guys.”
We come to you, our readers, with somber, yet hopeful spirits. We have been awaiting the court decision by Judge Yolanda Ciccone and upon reading her decision we found out that she DENIED the case made by D.O.R.I.S. Furthermore she stated that; “DFF’s expert advised HTHPC on all seven criteria…through Mr. Catania and Dr. Cooperman’s testimony, as well as DFF’s councils closing argument, the record below is filled with bases that support HTHPC’s decision making process” (Ciccone pg. 4), They did not. Nor did they provide documentation proving their claimed “decade of research for alternative uses”. If the statements made by these individuals during the proceedings had documents supporting their claims then one could make such an argument, but as a witness to both the proceedings of which the record mentioned was made, and to the egregious amount of denial being exhibited by judicial parties involved in the appeal process that D.O.R.I.S. is in, I can say with confidence that, no, the DFF and the individuals representing these bodies did not go the extra mile and find, or present to the courts, evidence of their claims, and even went so far as to fabricate events that never occurred on the record.
Furthermore, Ciccone stated; “HTHPC had adequate basis in fact and opinion to approve the demolition,” They did not, at least not where documentation and preservation of fact is involved, “and acted in conformity with the appropriate law when approving DFF’s application. It would be inappropriate for the Court to substitute its own judgment of the evidence for the judgment of local citizens with an intimate knowledge of the community’s interest in preserving historic sites” (Ciccone pg. 4). The HHTHPC may have intimate knowledge of interests of the Somerset county community, and it’s interests, but William J. Willard Esq. so eloquently stated, “It doesn’t matter what Doris wanted. It doesn’t matter what the general public thinks” (before the final town meeting in which HTHPC voted to demolish Doris’s home, 6:19-6:26). Despite their presumed intimate knowledge of the interests of their voting public, they chose to not only disregard the wishes of the woman who donated land where Somerset County College stands today (Doris Duke), but they also have disregarded the voice of their own citizens. The community of Somerset County is VERY interested in preserving the Duke Mansion, yet the HTHPC has ignored their voices.
A member of the HTHPC even felt like dozing off during the proceedings, “Plaintiffs contend that a member of HTHPC was sleeping during the hearings. If this council member were to have been asleep during the hearings, it would be prudent that someone in attendance take immediate action to notify all involved. It is improper for the Court to overturn HTHPC’s decision on the basis that certain individuals claim that a member was sleeping ” (Ciccone pg. 4-5). It would have also been prudent of the council member to not have fallen asleep in the first place, not only that, speaking out of turn would also have evoked a scolding from HTHPC council upon the person who acted “prudently by notifying all involved”. In this same line of reasoning, if the public is expected to alert all involved to the matter, yet “the decision to allow for public comment is discretionary” (Ciccone pg. 5& N.J.S.A. 10:4-12 (a)) which legal position then takes prescient in this case? If public comment being permitted is discretionary then how can the public bring to council’s attention that a council member has fallen asleep during proceedings?
Doris’ home is again in the crosshairs of the foundation that she had created upon her death, and at the moment there is nothing preventing the demolition of her historic, and very unique home. With all of the oversights that we as a voting public, and many of our readers as members of the Somerset County community, and broadly speaking, American voter, it would be refreshing to see a federal investigation of The DFF, and the DDCF as part of this process as a means to verify the goings on in these organizations. One can hope, but on that bittersweet note I leave you with this thought, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Confucius.
Despite the opinion of Judge Ciccone, and the actions of the HTHPC, DFF & DDCF, history will remember their actions, and likewise history will remember that D.O.R.I.S. stood up against these bodies, that everyday people of many ages, political positions, localities, cultures, and beliefs came together to fight injustice that the powers that be are letting happen.
The mansion was demolished within 12 hours of the ruling, with a black Mercedes and dozens of security vehicles surrounding the doomed landmark. Is this the end? Certainly not. This simply means that the WORLD IS WATCHING to change the second life of the Duke family legacy. After all, in loss we find new beginnings. DORIS and its members will continue to fight for the justice of the Duke legacy. Thank you for your dedicated reading. Stay curious, darlings.
10/15/15 HTHPC meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIN3hLSydEg&feature=youtu.be
Save the Duke Mansion(Director’s Cut): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvssmxkweGI
Click for: Judge Ciccone Opinion
There was an overwhelming sense of success that flooded the room at the “Afternoon with Doris” Event upon entry. Even ten minutes before the start of the festivities, the church was abuzz with happy thoughts and cheerful attitudes geared toward a positive future. Of the speakers on Miss Duke’s behalf, the event hosted Elisabeth and Carl whose lives were spent in part on the lavish Duke Estate.
The first statements were provided by the DORIS group’s representing attorney, David Brook, who summarized the course of the trials. The greatest question he asks the Judge now is “how was this legal process arbitrary or subjective? We all think there is a reason. Question is, what’s their reason?” State officials, elected senators and assemblymen, county and township officials all seem to have the same response: deadly silence. We await the opinion of the judge this coming Friday. We know that the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation used their financial power to intimidate another charity that creates perversion in the case as of the week of Monday, February 22nd, 2016. “We hope,” Brook explains, “that the judge will identify the abuses of power that have taken place here.”
“It is pretty significant that the national parks service spokesperson has prepared a letter in our favor for these hearings” Describes Nancy Piwowar. “All of it is accessible through the DORIS Facebook pages”.
Liz McConville explains the value that Doris placed on her Estate, her home, all while wearing the brass Bull Durham, a gift from Miss Duke, lovingly around her neck. “She donated 400 million dollars to charity in her lifetime. That was for public record. But she also gave millions away privately. What really bothers me is that the millions that she left to her foundation is being used wrongly to tear down her house- her favorite house! I know what her house meant to her. It would be a travesty to everything she stood for across the state and the world to tear it down.”
She also describes what Doris was really like outside the tabloids. “You can only imagine what it is like to have so much money and not know what to do with it! She was difficult and demanding but pleasant and thoughtful. You’ll never know someone that rich in your entire life.” Miss McConville carried on to read a chapter of her book, which is yet to be public.
New events are also brewing with the promise of fabulous springtime weather on the near horizon. The Retro Revival staff, in conjunction with members of DORIS, will be working on long-term projects to keep the interest in the Duke Family legacy alive. Picnics will begin in April, so please keep your calendars ready for some Saturday afternoons. Also being coordinated are ‘Prances in the Park’, a new miniseries spinoff of the Trials of Doris, which will be conducted in a sponsorship fashion. These ‘prances’ will be choreographed numbers performed by anyone who is interested along with the staff of RR, and all monies donated by sponsors will go to a predetermined charity of choice that is congruent with the interests of the Dukes. Some suggestions so far include the DORIS legal defense fund, local animal shelters, preservation efforts, arts, culture, horticulture, and medical fields. More information will follow and a new column will be prepared for “Prances in the Park”. Please email theretrorevivalist@gmail.com for any interested dancers or patrons. ALL PROCEEDS FOR SPONSORSHIP WILL GO TO THE DORIS LEGAL DEFENSE FUND, AND ALL DONORS WILL BE LISTED WHEN A VIDEO IS POSTED. Thank you, and stay curious!
Beloved readers and supporters of the DORIS group, today was the set date for the trial to continue to be heard at Somerset County court. At 10am EST, the proceedings began. After much deliberation over the course of several hours, the verdict will be reached and disclosed at the end of next week. While some may be disappointed at the delay of hopefully good news, this is a vital step to review all criteria for a sound decision to be made. In this time, the Retro Revival has collaborated with DORIS to create a promotional video, ‘Save Duke Mansion’ for your viewing and sharing pleasure.
We also look forward to a very exciting new chapter to begin at the Duke Estate following an announcement to be made tomorrow at the Afternoon with Doris event held in Somerville. Please reference our last article for the details.
Please rally support in the next week if at all possible. No matter what happens, the RR team of writers is very excited to unveil projects of charity and community engagement for the new revival of the Duke Estate for years to come. We hope to keep this last estate of the industrial Dukes (and Duchesses) intact as a whole, and your support begins with the ancestral home of the Duke Family. After all, family and community is what these elites were all about. Keep the love alive and stay curious, darlings. #SaveDukeMansion
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