You may not know Edward Bowser’s name. The life of this accomplished architect – one of the first licensed Black architects in New Jersey – has been somewhat forgotten.
However, there has been a resurgence of interest in the mid-century homes that this East Orange native designed. One of them at 249 Runnymede Road in Essex Fells is on the market for $949,000.
The three-bedroom home, built in 1957, is currently owned by architect and preservationist Frank Gerard Godlewski, who has become a champion of Bowser’s career since buying the 2,400-square-foot property in 2007.
Weeks before the home was listed by John Haydu of Keller Williams, I attended Godlewski’s estate sale. While many visitors came for the antiques and artworks, others came for the architecture and could be seen roaming the grounds solemnly in awe. There is something special about the half-acre land – it feels far away from everything.
While some architects built ostentatious homes for those wanting to put their wealth on display, Bowser often created homes that disappeared from the street. If you drove by Godlewski’s home, you might not even know it was there. The property is set into a small valley below the elevation of the street. Pine Brook ripples by on its way to the local reservoir. The front door is reached from the street by crossing a whimsical wooden bridge that feels like entering into a fairytale world.
“Once you cross that bridge, you’re leaving civilization,” Godlewski said. “It’s all about being embraced by nature.”
Bowser designed homes with two major influences in mind. One was French master Le Corbusier with whom Bowser worked for in Paris. This fact alone catapults him into rare company as he was one of the few Americans to gain this prestigious apprenticeship. It left a lasting impression on him as his homes – there are an estimated 18 still standing – are designed with Le Corbusier’s nine-square-grid concept.
Earlier this year, Scott Horne, who owns one of Bowser’s homes in South Orange, gave a presentation to the township’s Historical Society. He explained how the nine-square-grid gives his home a feeling of “openness” without an open floor plan – a description that could have been said about the home in Essex Fells.
“It’s a spacious home but there’s no wasted or unused space,” Horne said. “No matter which way you’re looking you can see outside, even if you’re looking up – the clerestory windows at the top give you a lot of light.”
The other defining influence in Bowser’s life was Frank Lloyd Wright who, instead of taming nature, sought to design homes that glorified their natural settings. This is what Bowser does so well. In the case of Horne’s home, the main attraction is the view of Manhattan’s skyline.
“I sit in my chair and look at that view – and it never gets old,” Horne said.
At Godlewski’s home in Essex Fells, the brook was the principle theme and the large picture windows in the living room, which frames the waterway, is the guest’s first impression. Godlewski said that during his 17 years there, the home’s “magic” revealed itself to him.
“The way the house is situated, the light refracts from the brook and shimmers on the wall,” Godlewski said. “All day long the sun streaks through the tree branches and will hit an object – like the chandelier or the table – and explode with light.”
“That’s what goes on in the house all day long,” Godlewski said.
Bowser defied considerable odds to attain the success that he did. In the 1950s, he was denied the chance to apply for a state architecture license because of his skin color.
“There was a lot discrimination,” Alan Bowser, Edward’s nephew, told PBS in a recent documentary. “It was a tough environment to be a professional, and the fact that he later got his national architecture license shows that he must have been an exceptional guy.”
If Bowser had only designed stylish homes in New Jersey’s wealthy suburbs, including Montclair, Nutley, and North Caldwell, it would have been enough to cement his legacy as architect. What elevates his body of work is the way he applied his craft for social causes. In East Orange, his design for the Kuzuri-Kijiji housing projects, a low-rise public housing set around a series of parks and playgrounds, was revolutionary at the time when the government seemed content to lock the poor away in crime-ridden towers.
In the 1970s, at the height of his career, Bowser moved to Ghana, where he built a school and taught architecture. In 1995, he died of malaria while abroad.
The home in Essex Fells has been a source of inspiration to Godlewski, who is moving to Spring Lake to take care of a relative. He said the home “found him.” He’s hoping the home will call out once again to its next owner to become the steward of its remarkable history.
