Stephenson's to auction historic N.J. home, antiques barn & remaining inventory On Oct. 1, Stephenson's will auction a stately residence and antiques barn that comprise one of Lambertville, N.J.’s most recognizable landmarks. All remaining antiques will be sold, with no reserve.
News-Antique.com - Sep 23,2011 - WEST AMWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A stately residence and antiques barn that together comprise one of Lambertville, N.J.’s most recognizable landmarks will be auctioned in a Saturday, Oct. 1 on-site sale conducted by Stephenson’s Auctioneers. The contents of the residence and remaining goods from the barn’s antiques and lighting businesses will be auctioned on the same day, separate from the real estate.
Located at 1872 and 1874 River Road (Rt. 29) in West Amwell Township (considered Lambertville), the property consists of a 2-story brick Federal home and an adjacent barn that formerly housed River Road Antiques & Lighting. Under its previous ownership, the barn served as the premises for The Rooster’s Coop, a lighting business that was also well known to antiques enthusiasts from throughout the tri-state area.
“The property sits high on a hill, next door to the Golden Nugget Antique Market,” said Stephenson’s Auctioneers’ owner, Cindy Stephenson. “It’s very pastoral, with lots of native vegetation and animals, and is within walking distance of the Delaware River. Anyone who has been to the area would know the place. The home would make a fantastic weekend retreat for a person living in Manhattan, which is about an hour and 20 minutes away.”
The auction will be divided into morning and afternoon sessions, with the sale of residential furnishings and the barn’s antiques inventory to commence at 10 a.m., and the real property – residence, barn and outbuildings – at 2 p.m. All of the home’s contents and the antiques, lamps, chandeliers, light fixtures and sizable parts inventory from River Road Antiques’ lamp-repair department will be offered without reserve.
Built on farmland around 1860, the residence sits on 7.71 acres and features five bedrooms, lofty ceilings, period woodwork and many other beautiful architectural appointments. The spacious barn – which will be auctioned as a separate property – has several interior rooms in addition to generous floor-display and storage areas. It is situated on 3.83 acres and, like the residence, is zoned for commercial use.
Owners John and Ermina Santaguida live in California and are motivated to sell because they no longer have a use for the property. John Santaguida, a successful antiques dealer who previously owned Windsor Auctions in Westfield, N.J., decided to close River Road Antiques and Lighting after his mother passed away earlier this year.
“I bought the property in 2005 so my mother and stepfather could live in the house and run the antiques and lighting businesses next door,” Santaguida explained. “My stepfather now prefers to move to a house that is not as large, so we’re auctioning everything.”
The home is very tastefully decorated with Victorian and later period furniture. Among the pieces to be sold are a farm table with ladder-back chairs, a pumpkin pine cupboard, mortice bench, clerk’s chair, Oriental rugs, Victorian tables and a marble cup server. There are prints, cabinet plates, a rattan-style porch set and many quality “smalls.” Art by Jane Gilday (b. 1951-), a listed artist from the New Hope/Lambertville area,
