County awards grants for historic preservation
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

The Shrewsbury Friends Meetinghouse

Long Branch, Ocean Township, Shrewsbury and Tinton Falls are among 13 municipalities that have received Monmouth County Historical Commission 2007 Preservation Grants.

Freeholder Deputy Director Lillian G. Burry noted that the grants help communities with preservation projects that foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the past.

The county awarded 19 restoration grants totaling $70,000.

Ocean Township's Eden Woolley House received $3,638 for copper gutters. The 300-year-old house is being restored for use as the Ocean Township Historical Museum. The Deal Road house sits on the same property as the Ocean Township Library.

The Shrewsbury Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) received $4,180 for windows and chimneys.

The Quakers need additional help to preserve the building and the history that surrounds it, a history that goes all the way back to 1665. The Shrewsbury Friends Meetinghouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1940.

The Crawford House, Tinton Falls

The Crawford House in Tinton Falls also received $4,180 for a door and windows. The historic house, located on Tinton Avenue (Route 537) at the Tinton Falls bridge, is the southernmost remaining example of Dutch Colonial construction and dates back to at least the 18th century, possibly earlier.

Stacey Slowinski, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission of Tinton Falls, said last year that the house will be rehabilitated for use as a local history and culture center under the direction of Michael Califati of Historic Building Architects and Slowinski.

When work is completed, the house will interpret a 1920s Colonial Revival renovation, she said.

The City of Long Branch was awarded four grants: the Church of Presidents was awarded $4,180 for gutter and leaders restoration; the Neptune Hose Company was awarded $2,240 for interior restoration; the Carnegie Library was awarded $4,180 for painting; and the Elberon Memorial Church received $4,180 for stained glass.

Restoration grants also went to Allenhurst, Atlantic Highlands, Colts Neck, Freehold, Neptune and Wall.

The county's Historical Commission is dedicated to preserving the past and creating a living history. Since its establishment 19 years ago, the preservation grant program has provided the funds to smaller organizations in their efforts to protect the county's historic legacy.

The types of projects eligible for funding are preservation, restoration or rehabilitation of historic structures, usually 50 years or older and which are accessible to the public. The program covers essentially structural work for projects commonly known as "bricks and mortar" undertakings.

There is a $500 minimum and a $5,000 maximum grant per applicant in any year. The program is competitive and the commission requires proof of the availability of matching funds.

Burry, who was the speaker at the Historical Commission's 18th Annual Preservation Awards ceremony held Feb. 26, said, "These grants directly support the great work being done by the community."