The Valerie Fund Presents The Clark Rogers House
A designer showhouse restoration of a historic Plainfield house will benefit children battling cancer and blood disorders
The Valerie Fund is partnering with the home’s current owners to present the Clark Rogers House Designer Showhouse, opening for public tours beginning April 16, 2026.
Located just steps from Plainfield’s historic Millionaires’ Row, the Clark Rogers House is a testament to Plainfield’s rise in the 19th century as a commuter haven and cultural hub. Built in the 1860s for retired merchant Clark Rogers, the home, located within the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains one of Plainfield’s finer surviving examples of Victorian Italianate and Queen Anne-style architecture.
The house showcases signature elements of its time: decorative cross gables, cornices and finely incised millwork along the frieze. The Victorian “gingerbread” trim highlights the clapboard siding, while segmental-headed windows and a prominent three-bay leaded glass window on the main floor offer striking period detail. Visitors will also admire the double-leaf paneled oak doors set beneath an ornate segmental arch that provides a welcoming entrance from the wraparound porch. The Queen Anne influence is evident in the home’s decorative turret and bay windows.
Today, the organizers say, the house is not just an architectural treasure; it’s also a window into the vibrant, aspirational spirit of 19th-century Plainfield — a city shaped by trains, industry, civic pride and timeless craftsmanship. The house continues to tell the story of the Plainfield’s rise and evolution.
Designers are invited to take part in the restoration and reimagining of this historic gem.
The show house is an opportunity for designers to showcase their creative vision while helping bring the home back to its former glory. Participants will benefit from thousands of visitors and extensive exposure through The Valerie Fund’s robust marketing platform. For details, click here.
Most importantly, the success of this fundraiser will benefit The Valerie Fund’s upcoming $5 million capital campaign, which will fund the first three years of the brand-new Valerie Fund Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center and ensure The Valerie Fund hallmark psychosocial services can be sustained at the eight Valerie Fund Children’s Centers in New York and New Jersey.
Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Bunny Flanders at 973-202-1992 or bflanders@thevaleriefund.org.
Self-guided tours of the Clark Rogers House will begin Thursday, April 16, and run through Sunday, May 17. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
ABOUT THE VALERIE FUND
After their 9-year-old daughter Valerie Goldstein succumbed to cancer in 1976, her parents Sue and Ed Goldstein were determined that no family should have to travel great distances to receive superior medical care. Along with a group of close friends, they began fundraising efforts from their living room — tireless work that would lead to the 1977 opening of New Jersey’s first pediatric oncology facility at Summit’s Overlook Hospital. Nearly 50 years later, The Valerie Fund’s mission remains that of supporting comprehensive healthcare for children battling cancer and blood disorders. The Valerie Fund treats more than 6,500 patients each year at eight treatment centers throughout New Jersey, New York and metro Philadelphia.