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Message |
    
flugermongers
Citizen
Username: Flugermongers
Post Number: 334
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 11:25 pm: | 
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Wow, a lot happening today. I hope no one is hurt. Does anyone know anything about either? |
newone
Citizen
Username: Newone
Post Number: 186
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 8:18 am: |
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In Short Hills, a car apparently caught fire in a driveway and somehow spread to the house which burned down. No injuries reported.
Now I know what all of those sirens were last night... |
suzanneng
Citizen
Username: Suzanneng
Post Number: 211
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 12:28 pm: |
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I saw the house fire on the news last night. Apparently over 100 firefighters were fighting it... the news kept talking about a Millburn mansion.. I wonder where in Millburn (or more likely Short Hills) the fire was. News said no one was injured. |
finnegan
Citizen
Username: Finnegan
Post Number: 157
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 1:46 pm: |
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Channel 4 gave the address as 1 Watchung Rd. which seems to be about in the middle of the area bound by Old Short Hills Rd., Great Hills Rd., White Oak Ridge, and Parsonage Hill. |
grw
Citizen
Username: Grw
Post Number: 338
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 1, 2005 - 1:06 pm: |
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Want to see it, take Parsonage Hill Rd to Hartshorn make a right go straight until you have to make a left, that's Watchung.
Went by it last night, probably a 4-5 million dollar home, brick, now gutted |
Jason & John
Citizen
Username: Johnh91011
Post Number: 159
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 1, 2005 - 1:50 pm: |
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Was in the Ledger today. The owner was vacationing in Florida when the house burned. |
Taylor M
Citizen
Username: Anotherusername
Post Number: 223
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, January 1, 2005 - 3:13 pm: |
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I give the owner a lot of credit. He said something to the effect with all the lives lost in Tidal Wave, I can't cry. He said he was lucky he had his life. Ironically, he bout the house 34 years ago for $50,000 after it was destroyed in another fire. Spent $2 million to restore it. He isn't sure if he's going to rebuild. House valued now according to the Ledger at $5 million. |
magmasystems
Citizen
Username: Magmasystems
Post Number: 282
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 1, 2005 - 4:28 pm: |
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A few people were talking about the fire on the message board at MillburnWeb. One member, who is close to the fire department in Millburn, said that 10+ towns were involved in the effort.
It was supposed to be a fairly large house with spectacular windows.
Marc @ millburnweb.com
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Taylor M
Citizen
Username: Anotherusername
Post Number: 224
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, January 1, 2005 - 4:45 pm: |
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Torahs survive mansion blaze
Millburn owner was in Florida
Saturday, January 01, 2005
BY JONATHAN CASIANO
Star-Ledger Staff
Investigators searched the charred remains of a three-story brick mansion in Millburn yesterday for clues as to what caused a Thursday evening blaze at the house, whose owner was away on a holiday vacation.
Authorities said the fire escalated to five alarms and took firefighters from a dozen towns more than three hours to bring under control.
The home's owner, 74-year-old Isadore Spiegel, lived alone and was in Florida at the time of the fire, but flew back to New Jersey yesterday to rescue valuable religious artifacts from the home's basement synagogue. The house was worth $5 million, he said.
While most of the Watchung Road mansion's brick frame remained intact through the fire, Spiegel said the inside of the home was almost completely destroyed.
Arson investigators from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office were on the scene yesterday morning, but Millburn fire officials said no cause had been determined. The incident remained under investigation.
The house caught fire before 7:30 Thursday evening, and was reported by neighbors several blocks away who saw smoke billowing above the treetops, said Millburn fire Capt. Shawn Daly. When firefighters arrived at the scene, flames were shooting out of seven windows and climbing 30 feet into the sky.
A long, steep driveway leading up to the house made battling the blaze difficult and the flames were not brought under control until nearly 11 p.m., Daly said.
Spiegel was in his Miami apartment when he received the call from authorities at 2 a.m. yesterday. He arrived in Millburn around 10 a.m. to find nearly all of the home's contents destroyed, with the exception of five Torahs worth $40,000 each.
"The whole room was demolished and they were in a cabinet and somehow, someway they were saved," Spiegel said.
Spiegel, the retired owner of Spiegel Trucking Co. in Harrison, said he purchased the property in Millburn's exclusive Short Hills section 34 years ago after it was destroyed by another fire. He paid $55,000 for the 9,000 square-foot mansion and spent more than $2 million completely renovating the home, installing marble floors, stainless steel ceilings and an all-brick exterior.
The home was known for the all-day parties Spiegel threw in the 1970s and 1980s for seniors from Millburn, Newark and his native Harrison. It also was known locally as the "Mafia house" because of a purported mobster, neighbors said, who lived in the home before Spiegel.
In addition to an elevator and custom-made stainless steel furniture, Spiegel also had a fully-furnished synagogue built in the basement where, until recently, a rabbi would hold private services every Friday for Spiegel and his guests
Most of the religious items in the synagogue had been taken from the Aguth Israel Temple in Irvington when it closed some years ago, Spiegel said.
As of yesterday, Spiegel said he had not decided whether he would attempt to rehabilitate the home again, but tried to put his loss into perspective.
"I don't want to sit here and cry," he said. "There were 115,000 people killed in the tsunami and I'm still here ... If I eat and sleep every day, then I'm fine. I don't have to be the richest man in the grave."
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Duncan
Supporter
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 3722
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 1, 2005 - 11:31 pm: |
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All any one burned was my back yard. I am damned lucky |
Strawberry
Supporter
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 4199
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 9:57 am: |
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I've known Izzy for 25+ years. I used to attend his legendary parties in the 80's where you'd see the likes of Tom Kean one week, and Vinnie from Queens the next. Legendary bashes, all of them. Easy place to get some female action as well, especially if you were young and rich (like me)
All that said, this fire was no accident. (in my opinion) |
Mark Fuhrman
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 1046
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 12:24 pm: |
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Were you there picking up the female seniors from Millburn, Newark and Harrison that are referred to in the story? You really must have been a wild and crazy guy back then. |
Strawberry
Supporter
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 4201
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 4:56 pm: |
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Those parties were for college "seniors". And yeah they were friggin wild. |
Taylor M
Citizen
Username: Anotherusername
Post Number: 233
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 7:52 pm: |
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Some people should crawl back under the rock they came out from. Back in the 70's this poor 74 year old man would have been in his 40's! College Seniors? Doubtful. Wild? I doubt it. He was known for being a very kind generous man. Nothing's been said about 'wild.' There was talk the day after the fire, think I even saw an article, it started in the furnace. |
Strawberry
Supporter
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 4205
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 8:05 pm: |
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Izzy a kind a generous man??? 
holy ignorance. |
shestheone
Citizen
Username: Shestheone
Post Number: 115
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 8:07 pm: |
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yet another thread about holy ignorance...oops, i mean straw. |
Strawberry
Supporter
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 4206
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 8:17 pm: |
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You people crack me up. You move here from Park Slope, know nothing about the history or people of these communities, but seem to have alot to say about them.
Izzy is and was as tough a businessman you'll ever meet. I sure as heck hate having to do deals with him. However we both own a crap load of commercial space, so our paths cross often.
And for those of you who think you may have seen him around town, chances are you have. He has an old white stretch limo with Izzy plates on them. He usually drives the car himself! |
Dave
Moderator
Username: Dave
Post Number: 4861
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 9:03 pm: |
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I thought he was a trucker.  |
Strawberry
Supporter
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 4208
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 9:04 pm: |
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trucking AND warehousing.. |
Duncan
Supporter
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 3730
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, January 2, 2005 - 9:22 pm: |
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Commercial property AND Press Reporting AND food service.. |
Taylor M
Citizen
Username: Anotherusername
Post Number: 234
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 6:35 am: |
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I sure hope you don't mean me as one of those "moving here from Park Slope and knowing nothing about the history or people of these communities, but seem to have alot to say about them."
I've lived here for 40 years. |
Strawberry
Supporter
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 4209
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 9:48 am: |
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food service?
I once owned a small piece of a bagel shop in the city. That's about it. |
Earlster
Supporter
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 811
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 12:31 pm: |
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Here is a picture of Straws commercial property in Rahway.
A real crapload of space.
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Strawberry
Supporter
Username: Strawberry
Post Number: 4213
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 12:34 pm: |
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I wish I owned portajohns. You can make a fortune renting those things. |
jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 677
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 3, 2005 - 3:15 pm: |
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Speaking of Wyoming av. , the combination of darkness, leafs , runners , bikers , dog walkers ,& churches on Wyoming av is a accident waiting to happen . Why anyone would run on Wy. with a baby stroller @ dusk is beyond me. I'm seeing folks riding & running out of the shoulder onto the car lanes . The other day I stopped for a pedestrian that waded out walking a dog , he looked @ me like he expected me to yield to him. He's lucky he had a dog in front of him . This is a county road not Maplewood av. |
flugermongers
Citizen
Username: Flugermongers
Post Number: 338
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 1:12 am: |
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People moved here from Park Slope 20+ years ago and now ARE the history of this town, and know about ones before them. I would be one of them |
Soda
Citizen
Username: Soda
Post Number: 2269
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 10:39 am: |
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Straw: You're (can't believe I'm saying this) right. A friend of my wife's was good friends with the fellow who owned Port-O-San (yes, THIS Port-O-san  ), and he was (pardon my usage) filthy rich. Very nice gent, though...
-s.
BTW: I don't doubt that you're basically a very nice gent also. Happy New Year, you rightwing nutjob sumbitch... |
Joe
Citizen
Username: Gonets
Post Number: 574
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 1:11 pm: |
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Soda,
I know that guy's wife. Her only complaint about her husband was that he was always bringing his work home with him. |
dano
Citizen
Username: Dano
Post Number: 106
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 3:34 pm: |
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That's the guy from the Woodstock movie isn't it? |
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