Bears Nest is Bergen's Best-Kept Secret

Park Ridge townhouse community unveils extensive clubhouse renovation

WRITTEN BY DONNA ROLANDO

What’s the best-kept secret in Bergen County? Residents of Bears Nest, an award-winning luxury 201-unit townhouse community in Park Ridge, have long considered it the resort-like setting they call home.

Though 45 minutes from Broadway and New York City fine-dining, Bears Nest is tucked away on 46 acres that maintain the natural terrain. The neo-Tudor design reflective of a traditional English village is the work of architect Eleanore Pettersen, a protege of Frank Lloyd Wright, and won an award for the innovative use of masonry in all-brick exteriors.

But its latest innovation - part of a fresh image residents can’t wait to share - is the extensive renovation of its roughly 14,000-square-foot Clubhouse.

“It’s an extraordinary community that’s unlike any other townhouse development in North Jersey,” says Gay Hartigan, who served as President of the Bears Nest Board of Directors when the project began nearly a year ago.

A team of volunteers worked with designer Diane Durocher, architect Bob Zaccone, and Medina Construction to make sure the Clubhouse reno lived up to the Bears Nest name. After all, this community is known for drawing prestigious residents, including past President Richard Nixon.

“Everyone involved took such a personal interest and dedicated beyond what they were being paid,” says Tony Herbert, Bears Nest manager. “With COVID, we were not under pressure to do things. When the project was finished, it was very dramatic.”

Walk in the front entrance with a detailed mahogany door and one is immediately impressed by the design effort. The foyer’s dark gray stone floor is trimmed with calacatta gold, while overhead, vaulted ceilings and a contemporary wrought-iron chandelier say this is a place where style reigns.

Next stop, The Nest, where residents and their guests congregate with two original stone fireplaces and antique furniture that Durocher reupholstered for a more youthful vibe.

Durocher says she offset the stone-effect floors with a neutral palette and looked for ways to introduce a modern touch like the cheetah print on the wingback chairs. “What’s lovely about the fabrics we chose is that they’re beautiful and durable,” she adds.

Overlooking the pool patio, The Pub has ambience of its own with stacked-stone-surround fireplace, expanded quartz-topped bar surface, geometric pattern walnut-stain bar stools, and textured wallcovering.

A full-service restaurant kitchen makes the main level perfect for parties held in the Solarium, which dazzles with a new cathedral ceiling of random-sequence shiplap boards accentuated with cove lighting.

Upstairs, the remodel turned a seldom-used library into a conference/meeting room with large-screen TV for Zoom. The new bathroom is equipped with touchless features, and the gameroom offers ping pong, card tables, and more.

For a masculine vibe in the billiards room, the designer upcycled William and Mary chairs in a paisley faux leather and kept the “quintessential’’ billiard light of all brass, tying it in with other brass lamps. Other Clubhouse upgrades include the complete sound system with speakers in each room and all new LED lighting.

The Bears Nest master plan also included the recent renovation of the fitness center with a commercial-quality gym, along with locker rooms and saunas; and they completely redid a poolside patio with firepit and new furniture.

Too proud of this reno to keep it under wraps, Hartigan and the others are spreading the word that the Clubhouse is worth a peek for prospective residents, which these days include younger families.

“Once they see the units, then they want to see the Clubhouse,” says longtime resident Mike Mohamad. “ It’s the first thing they ask about.”