Cultural Center trustees ready to revamp 2nd floor
Building’s upper level could house museum’s permanent collection
MONMOUTH BEACH — Volunteers at the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center met with trustees of the center last week to plan fund-raising activities to finance the finishing of the second floor of the 128 Ocean Ave. facility.
The group decided to hold a cocktail party to kick off the fund-raising campaign and tentatively set May 18, as the date. Mayor James P. McConville III, who is one of the trustees, said he would check with the other organizations in town before confirming to make sure there is no conflict.
The Cultural Center, a former lifesaving station, has rotating shows of paintings and other works of arts in its two big display rooms, kitchen and hallways on the first floor. The exhibits change every three weeks.
The first floor and exterior were renovated when the borough took over the building, which most recently had been used as a marine police station. The second floor, however, was left untouched and has no utilities.
The renovated building was dedicated and opened as the cultural center May 27, 2000. The fund-raising cocktail party, if it goes forward May 18, will closely coincide with the Cultural Center’s second anniversary.
McConville said at the Feb. 8 meeting that $50,000 is a "conservative estimate" of what it will cost to finish the second floor of the Cultural Center.
"We’re talking to architects now," he said.
Richard L. Keller, director of the center and one of the trustees, said there is one large room on the second floor, which could become the home of the Cultural Center’s growing permanent collection, and three smaller rooms.
Keller said one of the small rooms on the second floor in the northeast corner has been turned over to the Monmouth Beach Historical Society, and another of the small rooms in the northwest corner has been turned over to the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 26, both for storage. He said there are no utilities — no heat, no air conditioning and no water — on the second floor.
"In all the rooms, we have to take out all the plaster and redo the electric and plumbing," he reported.
Keller said he would like to preserve the stairway, with its fine wood for historical significance, but a new addition with an enclosed stairway would have to be built because the present stairway is too narrow to meet code.
Sixteen volunteers — from Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Sea Bright, Rumson, Highlands, and New York City — turned out for the meeting.
"It’s a nice nucleus of volunteers," McConville said. "It should work well."
Other ideas for fund-raising the group discussed included having an appraisal day, akin to television’s "Antiques Road Show," and doing a costume party at Halloween. Another fund-raising meeting was set for 4 p.m. March 8.
James Heath, the Cultural Center trustee in charge of membership, will host a meeting in the near future to develop a plan on how to build membership.
Other meetings of the Buildings and Grounds Committee and the Historical Committee also will be scheduled. Police Chief Patrick McConville is the Cultural Center trustee in charge of buildings and grounds, and Greg Kelly is the trustee in charge of historical aspects of the facility.