Holmdel's Historic Crawford Hill To Be Named For Nobel Scientist

HOLMDEL, NJ — A first step in creating a planned park at Holmdel's Horn antenna will take place next week, when the Township Committee names the Crawford Hill site in honor of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Robert Wilson, a township resident.

An ordinance proposed by Mayor Rocco Impreveduto and introduced by the Township Committee Jan. 23 will have its public hearing at this Tuesday's committee meeting, the township confirmed. It is expected to be adopted.

The entire 35-acre site recently acquired by the township - Block 27, Lots 6 and 6.01 - will be named for Wilson.

Impreveduto announced Jan. 23 that Holmdel "has taken possession of the Crawford Hill property and the Holmdel Horn antenna from the property’s previous owner, Crawford Hill Holding LLC. The land and Horn antenna will be preserved and developed into Dr. Robert Wilson Park."

A ribbon-cutting – likely some time this spring – will take place, Impreveduto said last month, to "celebrate the majesty of what’s to come."

The property was the site of the 1964 discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation by Wilson, the future park’s namesake, and his research partner Dr. Arno Penzias.

Wilson and Penzias received the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery, which is viewed as crucial evidence in support of the Big Bang, the event that generated the universe 13.7 billion years ago.

“I thought it was appropriate that we name this new municipal park in honor of Dr. Wilson, one of our most dedicated residents, whose immeasurable contributions to science have given this property its historic status," Impreveduto said.

Wilson's colleague Penzias died on Jan. 22 in California, and Impreveduto acknowledged his passing, which tempered the news of the acquisition of the property.

Meanwhile, the former owner of the site, Rakesh Antala, said he wanted to underscore his support of the acquisition.

Antala, who is also a Holmdel resident, said "As a principal in Crawford Hill Holdings, I want to express how pleased my partners and I are with the resolution to the preservation of Crawford Hill and the famous Horn antenna. The recent agreement between CHH and the Town of Holmdel to purchase from us a significant part of Crawford Hill is a significant achievement and a worthy example of private sector cooperation with the government on behalf of our citizens," he said.

He said his company's original plan to develop "a small portion of the site would in no way" have endangered the Horn antenna. The potential development had sparked a public reaction to preserve Crawford Hill as an important setting for the historic Horn antenna - and as open space on Monmouth County's highest point.

After months of discussions, the township and the company came to the agreement.

Holmdel Township acquired the Crawford Hill property for a net sale price of $4.75 million. The transaction involved a purchase price of $5.5 million, with Crawford Hill Holding donating $750,000 back to the township for improvements to Crawford Hill. These monies are expected to be used to preserve the Horn antenna, repave access roads, and complete potential improvements such as a visitor center, Impreveduto said.

Mayor Impreveduto at the time of the acquisition thanked Antala and also recognized the work of former Mayor DJ Luccarelli and other members of the committee on the project.

"Our town has always struck a delicate balance between two sometimes conflicting ideologies: innovation - the persistent pursuit of knowledge, advancement, and new frontiers tempered by the unyielding desire to maintain open space, preserve land, and stay rooted in our rich agricultural history.

"Today is a day, I’m proud to say, in which we’ve honored both of those traditions in a way that generations of Holmdel residents can celebrate for centuries," he said at the time of the announcement.