Main Street Restoration — Madison, NJ

The second recognition by the HPC is Jerry A. Bruno Jr. for his work on the restoration of the façade of the building at 29 Main St., owned by Steve Whitehorn and currently occupied by Madison Wine Cellar.

Jerry Bruno is a West Caldwell-based architect who specializes in designing, restoring, refurbishing, rehabilitating and remodeling period homes and interiors. He utilizes traditional design methods and creative solutions to accommodate modern amenities, all while maintaining the original look and feel of the original structure.

The building dates to 1912 and was constructed to serve as the Tiger Grocery Store on the first floor, with office space above. It has served many businesses over the past century, and when the Madison Civic and Commercial Historic District was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the Tiger Grocery was identified as a Contributing Building in the district. In 2020, a multi-year phased project to restore the exterior of the Neo-Classical style commercial building was begun.

Exterior work carried out in the past three years included repointing brickwork on the facade and south side facing the alley. The storefront was rehabilitated, removing the painted plywood paneling that surrounded the store’s original plate glass windows. Elements of a cornice and moldings, that had been covered up probably in the 1960s, were revealed.

With guidance from Bruno and input from the Historic Preservation Commission, an entablature running the width of the building was returned. This space was traditionally used for signage, and so a new sign for the business was applied in this location again in 2023.

The brick walls beside the storefront windows at each corner of the façade were stripped of their paint and repointed, letting their distinctive “striped” effect provide a bit of architectural whimsey on an otherwise severe classical façade. The pediment in the center of the front roofline remained intact, and this original feature needed only repainting to help bring the entire building into focus.

In addition to the Main Street building, Bruno has worked on many prominent properties in Madison, helping Madison residents thoughtfully renovate and update their homes while maintaining or improving the overall streetscape.

The Historic Preservation Commission commended Bruno for his dedication to architectural preservation and restoration.