# Brownstone, Brick and Chimney Repair in Nutley, NJ

> Brownstone, brick and chimney repair in Nutley, where landmark rules turn on matched mortar and stone. In-kind repair is checked first. Send photos.

URL: https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/service-areas/nutley/

[True Course Masonry Newark](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/) repairs brownstone, brick, chimneys and front steps on Nutley houses, through licensed and insured contractors and on jobs of every size. Nutley was a brownstone town before it was a suburb: stone was quarried along the Passaic from 1810, and its oldest houses are built of it. The township's own landmark rules draw the line for masonry in plain terms, since repair that matches the original color, texture, size and profile is exempt from review and repair that does not is a change.

## Nutley brownstone and the in-kind rule

The Nutley Historical Society records that the King quarry opened in 1810 at what is now Glotzbach Park, near the Passaic, and that Alexander Phillips bought it in 1846 and added steam-powered saws. Local stone went into Kingsland Manor and the Vreeland and Van Giesen house, now the Nutley Women's Club, before the quarry closed and was filled in. The township's history page dates Nutley's stone houses to the early 1700s. The oldest part of the Vreeland Homestead on Chestnut Street, listed on the National Register in 1994, is brownstone from a nearby quarry, and Kingsland Manor on Kingsland Street was listed in 1978.

Chapter 410 of the township code, restated by Ordinance 3361 in 2017, sets up the Nutley Township Historic Preservation Committee. On a designated landmark, any change in exterior appearance needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before work starts, whether or not a building permit is also required, with fines of up to $500 a day. Masonry is addressed directly: repair or replacement of exterior brick or masonry, including mortar, that does not change the color, style, texture, size or profile of the materials is exempt. Structural repair that does not change appearance is exempt too.

That makes matching the deciding question. A repair in a soft, colored mortar with the old joint profile, or a replacement stone of the same color and tooling, stays on the exempt side. A gray cement joint, a smeared joint wider than the original or a substitute unit that reads differently from the street is a change. Designation needs the owner's consent and there are no local districts, so as of the Planning Board's July 2022 vote nine sites were on the list. For most Nutley houses the rule is not a legal requirement, but it is a good description of a careful repair.

## Services that fit Nutley houses

[Stone masonry repair](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/stone-masonry-repair/) covers brownstone and other stone walls, sills, steps and foundations; the [guide to brownstone repair and matching](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/guide/brownstone-repair-and-matching/) explains patching, replacement and why stone bedding matters. [Historic masonry restoration](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/historic-masonry-restoration/) brings mortar analysis, matching and careful unit replacement on landmark and older houses.

[Brick pointing](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/brick-pointing/) and [brick repair](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/brick-repair/) cover the brick on Nutley's early twentieth century houses, and the [guide to why brick spalls](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/guide/why-brick-spalls/) explains what usually causes face loss. [Chimney repair](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/chimney-repair/) handles stacks, crowns and brick replacement, and [stoop repair](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/stoop-repair/) covers brick and stone front steps. Flue liners and sweeping are not offered.

## Why soft stone and old mortar need a matched repair

Brownstone is a sandstone, formed in layers. Set with the layers lying flat as they formed, it sheds water well. Set with the layers standing upright on the face of a wall, which was common because it gave a smooth face, water that gets behind the outer layer freezes and lifts it off in sheets. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Newark Liberty Airport, the nearest long-term station, record about 65 days a year when the low falls to freezing and the high climbs above it.

The age of Nutley's housing adds to that. American Community Survey figures for 2020 to 2024 show 31.3% of Nutley's housing units were built in 1939 or earlier and 63.2% before 1960. Older brick and stone were usually laid in softer, more lime-rich mortar than modern mixes, and a hard cement mortar or cement patch traps water against soft stone so the stone fails around it. The [guide to lime mortar and portland cement](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/guide/lime-mortar-vs-portland-cement/) explains the difference, and the [guide to sealing brick](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/guide/should-you-seal-brick/) covers why a coating is rarely the fix for a wall that stays wet.

Water near the river matters too. FEMA's flood maps show high-risk zones along the Third River, the Passaic River and St. Pauls Branch in Nutley, and the remnants of Ida flooded the township's park system in September 2021, which led to a FEMA-funded mitigation project on the Third River at Memorial Park in 2024. Low walls and foundations that stay damp dry slowly, so the source of the water is found before a mortar is chosen.

## How a Nutley job is planned

A first look identifies the stone or brick, how the stone is bedded, the condition and color of the existing mortar, earlier cement patches and where water reaches the wall. Where color and texture decide whether a repair matches, a small trial panel of mortar or patch is made and left to cure, because a mix that looks right wet often dries lighter or grayer than the old joints. If the property is a designated landmark, the scope is written so the repair matches, or it goes to the Committee first. Permits come from the Code Enforcement Department at 1 Kennedy Drive; N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14 requires a permit to repair or reconstruct a structure unless an exception applies, and a chimney rebuild counts as reconstruction. New Jersey requires home improvement contracts over $500 to be in writing with the contractor's registration number. Owners nearby can also see the [Belleville](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/service-areas/belleville/), [Bloomfield](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/service-areas/bloomfield/) and [Glen Ridge](https://truecoursemasonrynewark.com/service-areas/glen-ridge/) pages.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does repointing a Nutley landmark need the Historic Preservation Committee's approval?

Not if it matches. Nutley's Chapter 410 exempts repair or replacement of exterior brick or masonry, including mortar, that does not change the color, style, texture, size or profile of the materials. Repointing with a mortar that looks different, or replacing stone or brick with a unit that does not match, is a change in appearance and needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before work starts, whether or not a building permit is also required.

### Is my Nutley house under local historic review?

Only if it is a designated landmark. Nutley's ordinance has no local historic districts, and a property can be designated only with the owner's consent. As of the Planning Board's July 2022 vote, nine sites were designated, including Kingsland Manor, the Vreeland House on Chestnut Street and the museum on Church Street. National Register listing, such as the Enclosure Historic District's, records significance but does not by itself put a house under the Committee's review.

### Why does brownstone on an old Nutley house peel in sheets?

Brownstone is a sandstone laid down in layers. When a block is set with its layers standing upright on the face of the wall, water that gets behind the outer layer freezes and pushes it off as a sheet. Hard cement patches and cement-rich mortar make it worse, because they trap water against the stone. Repair options range from cutting back to sound stone and patching with a compatible mix to replacing a block with matching stone set with its layers lying flat.

### My house is near the Third River. Does that change how masonry is repaired?

It can. FEMA's flood maps show high-risk zones along the Third River, the Passaic River and St. Pauls Branch in Nutley, and the remnants of Ida flooded the township's parks in September 2021. Foundations and low walls that stay wet longer dry slowly and are harder on mortar and soft brick. Checking the address on the flood map and finding where water reaches the wall come before choosing a mortar or a sealer.

### Who issues masonry permits in Nutley?

Nutley's Code Enforcement Department, on the second floor of the Municipal Building at 1 Kennedy Drive. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14 requires a permit to repair or reconstruct a structure unless an exception applies, and rebuilding a chimney counts as reconstruction. The Construction Official also enforces the historic preservation chapter on landmarks. Whether smaller work needs a permit is confirmed with the office for the address.