199 Hardwick

This Victorian Italianate with stucco over stone exterior hides rich history. Builder Daniel Kleinhans, who failed in the gold fields of California but succeeeded in Sacramento's grocery business, returned to Belvidere in 1858 to escape the stress of his life in California and married Susan Depue. In 1865 he built this house and sold it two years later to DeWitt Clinton (D.C.) Blair, son of John I. Blair (namesake of nearby Blairstown). D.C. Blair was a lawyer and president of the Belvidere Bank. In 1877, the Belvidere Water Company was organized to "supply the town of Belvidere with pure and wholesome water, for both culinary and sanitary purposes." D.C. Blair was Board President.

In 1923, Blair sold the nearly completely furnished estate for $17,000 to the Presbyterian Synod of New Jersey. The synod's purpose was to create a home for family-less aged men and women in their denomination. Added to the building are the two wings stretching north and east, though the building retains remnants of the large porch. The first floor housed all the general living quarters: living room, dining room, sitting room, study, kitchen, butler's pantry, and laundry. The second floor had nine bedrooms and three baths. The third floor, with its roof raised by the synod, had an additional eight bedrooms and a large attic. They also added a solarium, game room, and a beauty parlor (aka the Pink Room).

By 1970, the Presbyterian Home for the Aged had outgrown the space and sold the building to Warren County for $375,000. The county originally housed the Welfare Department, the Office on Aging, Probation Department, and the County Library in the building. The Blair Estate is now known as the Courthouse Annex, including offices of the County Prosecutor.