BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer
The Long Branch Historical Museum on Ocean Avenue in the Elberon section of the city will be undergoing renovations this month to restore the 127-year-old structure that once acted as the place of worship for seven presidents that vacationed in the area. LONG BRANCH — The second phase of a multiphase renovation project to restore the Long Branch Historical Museum will get under way sometime this month.
The Long Branch Historical Museum Association (LBHMA) awarded a $494,236 contract to Precision Building & Construction, Bound Brook, last month to make substantial repairs to the exterior of the building, said Joan Schnorbus, LBHMA board member last week.
The second phase of renovations will include the installation of a new roof and rain gutters as well as structural reinforcement of the building’s wooden frame and repair the tower, according to Schnorbus.
The 127-year-old building at 1260 Ocean Ave. in the Elberon section of the city which formerly served as the Church of the Presidents was founded in 1879.
The south entrance to the 127-year-old structure. Then known as St. James Episcopal Chapel, the church was the place of worship for Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and Woodrow Wilson, all of whom vacationed at the Long Branch shore between 1868 and 1916.
The money to fund the second phase of what will be a four-phase face lift for the deteriorating building, comes from a combination of sources, according to Schnorbus.
The New Jersey Historic Trust awarded the LBHMA a $342,410 grant, the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service also awarded the association a $98,611 grant requested by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., according to Schnorbus.
The Monmouth County Historical Commission awarded a $4,000 grant toward installation of lead-coated copper gutters and leaders. All additional funds for the project were raised through private donations and a cocktail party fundraiser is scheduled to be held in August, Schnorbus said.
The third and fourth phases of the project, projected to cost more than $2 million, will include masonry, foundation work, internal repairs, a new utility system and visitor amenities and is expected to take at least four years to complete, Schnorbus had said in an interview last year.
The final two phases of the project will be funded through grants, fundraising and private donations, she said.
In 2003, a fundraiser, grants and donations funded the $250,000 first phase that stabilized the structure from impending collapse and floors, windows and doors were also removed from the structure.
This phase also included a $25,000 project to restore the belfry and bell on the building, according to Schnorbus.
The building functioned as a church for 74 years, until it was transformed in 1953 into the Long Branch Historical Museum.
In 1999, the deteriorated building was closed and declared unstable by engineers who were hired to inspect the premises.
The church was originally built with funds provided by a group of summer residents, and when the church was closed it was left to their heirs who formed the LBHMA.
The LBHMA, which has owned the building since 1953, wanted to reopen the museum, and members began the first phase of the four-phase project to restore the building.
St. James Episcopal Chapel was originally founded when a group of summer residents built the structure so the community that lived in Ocean Avenue area of the city would not have to travel into town for services, Schnorbus said.
It was an affiliate of St. James Episcopal Church on Broadway. In 1950, attendance dropped so low that the church was deconsecrated and slated for demolition.
The late Edgar Dinkelspiel, a resident of Long Branch, and Bernard Sandler, a city attorney, were determined to save the church and in 1953 they opened the museum at the site. The museum had a display of the history of the presidents who vacationed in the city.
The museum was run by Dinkelspiel and his wife, Florence, until he died in 1997. Florence continued to run the museum until it was closed in 1999.
When reopened, the museum will act as a resource for the community with artifacts, programs and exhibits, Schnorbus said.