Morris County sites may share $2.6M in historic preservation grants. What's on the list?
Five churches, two theaters and a cemetery are among two dozen sites expected to share $2.6 million this year in historic preservation grants funded by Morris County taxpayers.
The Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to vote on July 9 on approving the annual grants recommended on June 25 by the county's Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board. The board reviewed 29 applications "for conformance to the Secretary of Interior Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties," said Chairman Larry Fast.
"The board members conducted site visits and heard final presentations from the applicants, before deliberating on the funding recommendations,” Fast said in the grant recommendation announcement.
The commissioners traditionally approve the preservation board's recommendations.
“While restoring and protecting our historic fabric, it also increases opportunities for heritage tourism, economic development, and heightens the public’s awareness of our county’s irreplaceable historic character,” said Commissioner Deputy Director Stephen Shaw, the liaison to the preservation board.
Historic cemetery on Morris County list
Although it is a treasured local landmark, the cemetery is owned by the nonprofit Dover Cemetery Association, and all upkeep, including preservation efforts, is done by a handful of volunteers.
Paul Wood, the association president, said on July 1 that he is "crossing his fingers" that the commissioners approve two grants recommended by the board. One, for $217,360, would fund the first phase of a restoration of the cemetery's Carpenter Gothic-style gatehouse, a sturdy wood structure built on a crumbling brick foundation. Raising the structure off the foundation would be the costliest part of the process.
The second grant recommendation, for about $53,000, would pay for architectural and construction documents for the next two stages, the exterior and interior restorations of the building, Wood said.
The gatehouse of the Orchard Street Cemetery needs repairs to the foundation, Dover, N.J., May 20, 2025.
The ultimate goal is to turn the gatehouse into a museum. "It's fitting to me that this process is starting this year, because this summer marks the 150th anniversary of the construction of the building," Wood said.
Pending approval, the work should begin this year, Wood said.
Largest grant would go to church
The largest of this year's grant recommendations, for $366,720, would go to the exterior restoration of the Presbyterian Church of Morristown. Five other grants would support preservation of county churches, including Mendham United Methodist Church ($26,400), Mount Freedom Presbyterian Church in Randolph ($30,400), Stanhope United Methodist Church in Netcong ($12,675) and Zion Lutheran Church In Washington ($9,600).
The recommendations follow a federal lawsuit filed by Zion Lutheran and Mendham Methodist. In 2023, the two churches challenged a county policy excluding religious entities from consideration for the preservation grants, which cited the separation of church and state mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Last fall, the two congregations won a preliminary injunction against the ban.
Additional large grants are earmarked for the rehabilitation of the Scott Farm barn in Mendham ($300,172), basement waterproofing for the Millington Schoolhouse in Long Hill ($269,680), system upgrades at Schuyler-Hamilton House in Morristown ($268,920) and exterior work at Phoenix House in Mendham ($250,000).
Lakeside theater, Mayo PAC also recommended
The Palace Theater in Netcong is the home of the Growing Stage, the only professional resident theater company in New Jersey dedicated to productions and theater education for children.
Another Morris County treasure, the Growing Stage in Netcong, is in line for a $162,500 grant to upgrade its HVAC system in its home at the Palace Theatre, an old vaudeville stage on the shoreline of Lake Musconetcong.
The Growing Stage, New Jersey's only professional resident company dedicated to theatrical presentations and related programs for children, received a grant of $162,500 in 2023 to upgrade the theater's lighting system.
This year's grant could soften the blow after the company lost $10,000 in funding earlier this year when the Trump administration slashed the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Morris County's entertainment centerpiece — the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown — is also on the list, with a recommendation for a $15,100 grant. The money would support ongoing work to preserve features of its main performance space, an original 1937 Walter Reade movie house known as the Community Theatre.
$54 million for historic preservation
Since the fund was established in 2003, the Morris commissioners have awarded 554 grants totaling more than $54 million to assist in the preservation, protection and restoration of 129 historical properties in 35 towns.
“As Morris County prepares to host the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence in 2026, many of the historic sites we have helped to restore and preserve will be on display for visitors interested in learning about Morris County’s uniquely important role in the American Revolution,” Shaw said.
Nonprofit organizations operating in buildings that are listed or eligible for listing on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places can apply for the grants. The money may be used for construction expenses related to the preservation, restoration, repair and expansion of facilities.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris County sites may share $2.6M in historic preservation grants. What's on the list?
