Morris County Considers 30 Historic Sites for Preservation Funding

Published on June 23, 2022

Peck School Lindenwold 2022.jpg

Five First-Time Projects Included in Recommendations for $2.65 Million in Grants

The Morris County Board of County Commissioners was asked last night to approve $2.65 million in grants from the county’s Preservation Trust Fund to help restore, preserve and further protect 30 historic sites, including five that were never submitted for review in the past.

Most of the funding recommended by the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board, about 83 percent, is slated for construction proposals involving 15 of the projects. The rest, 17 percent, is being recommended for non-construction activity at 15 other historic sites, where the funding is earmarked for preservation planning, pre-construction planning and design work.

“These are only recommendations and our Board of Commissioners will make a final determination at a meeting in July after we have been able to examine the projects. However, we must thank the Preservation Trust Fund Review Board and our Office of Planning and Preservation for the extensive work they put into reviewing each historic site submitted for funding consideration and making the hard decisions on which ones to recommend for funding this year,” said Commissioner Director Tayfun Selen.

Morris County has awarded 482 grants amounting to nearly $43.3 Million to assist in the preservation, protection and restoration of 117 historical properties since 2003, when grants were first issued for protecting historic sites through Morris County’s Preservation Trust Fund. The sites are located in 34 towns around Morris County.

Craftsman Farms Log House Fireplace Hood 2022.jpg “Stepping back to look at where we have been from 2003 to 2021, recapping 19 funding cycles, the number of grants awarded has been 482 grants over those years. The total amount awarded has been $43,295,925. The number of historic sites awarded is 117, and that’s different from the 482 because we have had repeat sites awarded over the years,” said Larry Fast, Chair of the Review Board, noting grants often go to fund stages of a single preservation effort.

View the PowerPoint Presented to the Board of Commissioner

The five new projects submitted for consideration by the Review Board were recommended for full funding. They include:

  • The Boonton Civil War Memorial in the Town of Boonton
  • Dr. John Taylor House in the Town of Boonton
  • Samuel Tuttle House in Hanover Township
  • The Lindenwold Mansion (Peck School Building) in Morristown
  • The Mountain Lakes Train Station in Mountain Lakes

See the Full List of Projects Considered This Year by the Review Board

Another noteworthy project recommended for full funding this year is restoring five metal fireplace hoods inside the Log House at the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, a National Historic Landmark. Craftsman Farms is the former country estate of noted turn-of-the-century designer Gustav Stickley, a major proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement in decorative arts, home building and furnishing styles. The fireplace hoods each carry unique sayings imprinted on the metal, including one ancient maxim: “The lyf so short. The craft so long to lerne.” Complete with unique spelling choices, the slogan was used by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th Century and Stickley used it as a motto for a magazine he published called “The Craftsman.”

Photos:

Top Right:  Lindenwold, the 1886 High Victorian former residence, is currently owned and occupied by the Peck School. A $47,568 grant has been recommended to assist with the completion of a preservation plan.

Center Left:  One of the fireplace hoods in the Log House at the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms in Parsippany Township.

 



 

 

 

Tagged as: