BAY HEAD — Bay Head has seen much reconstruction ever since Superstorm Sandy barreled through the town in 2012, with many old and historic homes either being destroyed due to the storm, or torn down in favor of a larger, more modern-looking home. However, some residents, such as Mark and Janice Zarrilli, opted to keep the historic look of their home’s exterior instead of a complete tear-down.
The Zarrillis live at 55 Bridge Ave. The house was originally built in 1900 and was one of the first homes built in Bay Head. The house sits at a particularly high point in Bay Head, just two houses over from Bay Head Chapel. According to Mark Zarrilli, churches were built at the high points in towns back then, which means their property, despite its location, does not flood.
“The reason we know that is because when houses were built in the late 1800s-early 1900s, they always built the church at the highest point in town…This property does not flood, and we know it is one of the higher elevations in Bay Head,” said Mark Zarrilli.
When they bought the house, there were some minor flooding issues, but Mark Zarrilli equated this to the fact the home had no sump-pump, no drainage correct and the grading of the house was wrong. He said after making these corrections, the home has stood dry ever since.
The house has seen very little outside construction over the years, excluding a few minor variations. The Zarrillis bought the home in 2020, and while they completely renovated the inside of the home, they opted to keep the outside of the property relatively the same, excluding a few tweaks.
Mark Zarrilli said, “Inside we basically took it down to the studs. Everything on the inside of the house is brand new, as of 2022.”
This does not mean everything was changed throughout the house. Multiple original stain-glass windows still adorn the outside. The central fireplace, while having a more modern look, still sits in the middle of the first floor and old doors from the original home have a new coat of paint.
“We always asked ourselves how many people must have walked through that door over the years,” said Mark Zarrilli.
The main draw of this home was the outer facade, and the large porch that curls all the way around the entire home. “The township was totally on our side. They loved the fact we kept the house and the porch the way it is because they consider this the beginning of the village of Bay Head,” said Mark Zarrilli.
He further said, “We did everything historically correct outside, and everything up to modern on the inside.”
The Zarrillis both grew up in Brick, raised their family in Wall for 25 years, and have always considered themselves beach people.
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