In a message dated 4/13/2001 11:49:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< First of all, buster, a year ago, there was no "decency panel" (except BP);
...............Before Rudy's Decency Panel (none of whom are known to hail
from Summit, NJ, I might add) , there was Fat Tony and The New York Society
for the Suppression of Vice, of whom FT was secretary and chief special agent
until he waddled off this mortal coil in 1915.  In 1873, Tony was appointed a
Special Agent of the US Post Office by none other than Unconditional
Surrender Grant, after having promoted a law prohibiting the sending of
gambling or obscene literature through the mails. He subsequently ran all
over the country "arresting offenders and promoting societies for the
suppression of vice." His activities were financed (to the tune of
$100/month) by the NYSPV, and didn't cost the feds a dime until 1907, at
which time the Postmaster General insisted that Tony be compensated, which he
was until his (long overdue, if you ask me) demise. Anyway, he lumbered into
Summit in 1883, and immediately went after the 20 unlicensed gin mills out of
22 then extant in our fair (if not dry) Township of some 2000 souls.

If taking on the Art Industrial Complex 30 years later wasn't enough, he went
after "the Irish smut dealer" George Bernard Shaw for putting on "Mrs.
Warren's Profession."  No doubt Rudolph W. Giuliani is distressed that Shaw
won that one, although Rudy might like the idea of flinging elephant shit at
it.

 second of all, how old is the house, do you think?
According to "Summit, NJ: From Poverty Hill to The Hill City," by my
extremely dear close personal friend Ed Raftis (ex-pres of the Summit
Historical Society when I was on the board, now of Seattle, WA, and
coincidentally an attorney formerly with the firm of The Scumbag), from which
I am cribbing all this, Comstock's house,  called "Breeze Crest," was built
in 1897.

Old photographs?
None in Ed's book; however, the Summit Hist Soc may have some. Will be happy
to put you in touch w/them, or ask for you.

Name of dead architect?
As above, not noted in Ed's book, so probably unknown. SHS may have info on
that; several of us local Histo Presto fanatics worked on a Historic District
Survey about 10 years ago, and somebody may have found it and listed it
there.  There are a couple of local possibilities, including the guy who I
suspect designed my house in (I think) the mid-late '80's.

Bungalow?  Shingle?  Bingle?  Georgian?  Federal? Forgian?
This last may be closest. I would call it Shingle, due to massing (which is
massive 2 1/2 story and rather clunky), some shingles visible beneath faded
pinkish aluminum siding, a few Colonial Revival brackets and frou-frous, and
a big round tower with bell-cast roof, and the remnants of a slate roof.  The
rooms are pretty good-sized, and flow from one to the next, which goes with
the shingle designation. The parlor has a monster fireplace built of big
river-run stones, giving it a bungaloid/arts and crafts feel.  There is a
surprising amount of original detail left, none of it fabulous, but given
that the place was rented out to multiple families (sequentially and
simultaneously) over the years, it's really in pretty good shape.  It needs
somebody with a ton of money (not in short supply in Summit) and equal
amounts of vision (not always so plentiful) and stamina (less common) to see
it through.  And to retain me, in case I didn't mention that before. The
grounds (especially back yard) look to have been quite nice, although some
idiot 30-40 years ago planted a big evergreen right next to the front porch,
which is now all distorted and deflected, bewitched, bothered and bewildered,
due to ponding water, drains clogged with pine needles, piers heaved by
roots, and woodwork in constant shade preventing it from drying out.

Whatcha got going that this is of interest? I can fax you a copy of the
section on him from the Summit book, if you want (there's more, believe it or
not).
  >>

Ralph