NJ Historic Trust recommends millions in preservation grants for these North Jersey sites

David M. Zimmer, NorthJersey.com
·3 min read

Nearly two dozen historical sites and nonprofits in North Jersey are set to receive cash injections in a new round of funding from the New Jersey Historic Trust.

Part of the state Department of Consumer Affairs, the trust has recommended the release of nearly $15.8 million from the Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund to fund 65 projects across New Jersey. Four of the largest awards, $750,000 each, are expected to fund rehabilitation projects in Hoboken, Newark and Paterson.

In Paterson, the money is earmarked for ongoing improvements at Lambert Castle. That project could receive a pair of $750,000 grants from the trust for a rehabilitation effort that has kept the Passaic County museum closed since 2019. Built in 1892, the former home of silk tycoon Catholina Lambert is expected to reopen in 2023.

Lambert Castle in Paterson basks under a blue sky on Feb. 12, 2015.
Lambert Castle in Paterson basks under a blue sky on Feb. 12, 2015.

The long-term project received $750,000 from the trust in 2019 and $50,000 in 2018, which is also true for the Hoboken Free Public Library and Manual Training School project. Opened in 1897, the four-story public library on 5th Street this year underwent third-floor renovations and received a new HVAC system. The Newark money would boost efforts to preserve City Hall. Built in 1902, it features carved marble and a 24-karat gold-covered dome.

Half of the 22 awards recommended for North Jersey would go to Morris County. The largest, $672,000, would fund continued work at the Seward House in Mount Olive. The roughly 220-year-old home owned by Mount Olive Township nearly collapsed two decades ago due to disrepair. Locals have since endeavored to turn it into a museum and event center.

The Seward House in Mount Olive could receive $672,000 though the Garden State Historic Trust Fund's 2022 grant program.
The Seward House in Mount Olive could receive $672,000 though the Garden State Historic Trust Fund's 2022 grant program.

Stephen Shaw, a Morris County commissioner, said the 11 grant recommendations for the county would represent an enormous boost in efforts to save and restore its historic sites.

“This is an important first step in the process," Shaw said. "These state dollars will supplement grants we already approved from our Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund to protect these same sites."

More than half of the 65 recommended grant awards would fund capital preservation projects on sites listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Among them is a recommendation of $453,600 for the United States Animal Quarantine Station in Clifton. The site, known as the "Ellis Island for animals" between 1900 and 1979, is currently in the midst of controversy due to expansion plans meant to accommodate the Clifton Adult Opportunity Center.

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Officials at the trust have also recommended $147,780 to help the Sussex Historical Society save the Old Newton Academy, a 220-year-old schoolhouse in the Newton Town Plot Historic District. Another $366,000 could go to the Montclair Historical Society's efforts to maintain the Israel Crane House on Orange Road as a local history museum.

The Oradell train station is located near the intersection of Maple and Oradell Ave.
The Oradell train station is located near the intersection of Maple and Oradell Ave.

Most of the other recommended grants would fund preservation planning and other site management projects at historic sites throughout the state. Some recommendations include $71,686 for Palisades Interstate Park, $34,958 for the Oradell Railroad Station and $64,080 for the Van Riper House in Nutley.

Before the money is distributed, the grant recommendations must be approved by the Garden State Preservation Trust, the state Legislature and the governor.

The historic Israel Crane House at 110 Orange Rd., in Montclair NJ on Feb. 27, 2016.
The historic Israel Crane House at 110 Orange Rd., in Montclair NJ on Feb. 27, 2016.

Other recommendations in North Jersey include $75,000 to promote tourism at the Great Falls in Paterson and a slate of awards for Morris County sites, including:

  • LaTourette Grist and Saw Mill, Washington Township ($21,000)

  • Craftsman Farms, Parsippany-Troy Hills ($150,000)

  • Acorn Hall, Morristown ($102,300)

  • Friends Meetinghouse, Randolph ($74,525)

  • Ford-Faesch Manor House, Rockaway ($68,390)

  • Rockefeller Center, Chester Borough ($45,610)

  • Obadiah LaTourette Grist and Saw Mill, Washington Township ($41,063)

  • Joseph Tuttle House in Hanover Township ($7,965)

  • Mount Vernon School, Chatham ($266,050)

  • Merchiston Farm, Chester ($260,605)

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Jersey Historic Trust funds to protect North Jersey sites