Beloved, Century-Old Morris County Garden Center Went for $6M at Auction. See Who Won

17 Sep, 2025 - Tranzon Auction Properties

As seen in NJ Herald

With the 28 acres of Condursos Garden Center up for sale at public auction, Montville residents have been mourning the impending end of the 96-year-old family business for weeks. They also worried about the possibility of yet another redevelopment project bringing in more residential units or warehouses.

Those fears were put to rest Wednesday after township officials cast the winning bid of $6 million during the Sept. 17 auction, held outside the front entrance to the River Road property.

"It's an exciting day for the residents and the entire township of Montville," Mayor Matthew Kayne said after the auction ended. "We're very pleased we won this."

Township Administrator June Hercek, who did the actual bidding as the mayor and other township officials stood by, said the plan is to preserve the land "primarily for open-space purposes to be determined."

"We were looking at this property for quite some time and we were prepared to do what was necessary," Kayne said.

The property is surrounded by township-owned land. Directly to the north are municipal fields and Board of Education offices. The municipal complex to the west includes parkland, more ballfields, the high school and the public library.

An ordinance passed by the Township Committee on Aug. 19 authorized $6.195 million from Montville's Open Space Trust Fund to buy the land. The ordinance also authorized issuing $5.9 million in bonds to finance the purchase.

Kayne said Montville has not applied for any funds from the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund to support the purchase, as has been done by towns such as Madison, in its quest to preserve woods on the Drew University campus.

"We're looking into everything we can" to defray the cost, Kayne said.

Dozens of would-be buyers

Tranzon Auction Properties conducted the sale, ordered as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding. The event drew dozens of interested buyers who filled the parking lot of the garden center, which is still open for business.

Attorney Melinda Middlebrooks, representing current owners Luciano Realty LLC, said the family expected only a half-dozen bidders. But 19 showed up with the required $100,000 in certified funds.

Only about six raised their numbered placards as the bidding opened at $1 million and quickly rose to $5.5 million, leaving only the Montville delegation and another group as active competitors. Another bidder entered the action at the end, but frowned and turned his back as Montville raised its offer to $6 million.

Auctioneer Mike Carey issued the final call: "All in and all done? No tomorrow? Happy?"

"Give them a big round of applause," Carey concluded as the Montville delegation shared smiles and hugs.

The sale remains subject to review and approval by the judge presiding over the bankruptcy case. As the winning bidder, Montville will also have to pay an additional 8% service fee to the auction company. The town also has two weeks to replace its $100,000 deposit with a 10% down payment.

A Montville institution

Decades before Montville evolved from a rural farming community to a wealthy suburban township, Condursos was a thriving hub of the local economy.

The family business began when, according to the center's website, "Bartholomew and Rose Condurso, immigrants of Avellino, Italy, purchased a 30-acre dairy farm from the Dalton family in 1929."