Restoration work at Schenck farm approved by West Windsor council

Money allocated for historic buildings

By: Emily Craighead
   WEST WINDSOR — Kyle Van Dyke and Associates will oversee renovations to the carriage house and schoolhouse at the Schenck Farm.
   The Township Council has authorized a $5,000 contract for work on the carriage house and $13,500 for the schoolhouse, also known as the Parsonage House.
   "Please don’t let that schoolhouse fall down," said outgoing Councilwoman Kristin Appelget, who has seen projects at the farmstead stop and start while the condition of the schoolhouse continued to deteriorate.
   Plans for the barn have been in the works for several years, and money has been set aside in capital budgets from 1999 to 2004. Capital funds available for these projects include $127,000 for the schoolhouse, $148,000 for the barn and $50,000 for the carriage house.
   Under Mr. Van Dyke’s proposal, the schoolhouse will be rebuilt using whatever materials can be salvaged from the original structure. Plans for the barn include adding bathrooms and a small gift shop to accommodate visiting schoolchildren, as well as displays documenting changes in farming through the history of the Schenck Farmstead.
   Information revealed in a July 2005 report from James B. Garrison of Hillier Architecture and a May 2005 report from Bob Craig of the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office led to the decision to salvage the schoolhouse.
   Both reports described the schoolhouse as a unique historical asset.
   "This rare survivor offers an opportunity to preserve a building that through its design, construction and history, attests to the importance of public education in our society," Mr. Garrison’s report stated. "Its most significant features remain as the basis for its restoration as a facility that can continue to serve educational purposes both as an historical artifact and a place for programs relevant to the continuing development of the township and region."
   The schoolhouse was built in the mid-19th century and measures about 20 feet by 30 feet, according to Mr. Craig. Rare surviving features include a section of the blackboard — a portion of the wall painted a dark bluish-gray — and wainscoting surrounding the room up to the height of the window sills.
   In 1995, the schoolhouse was moved to the Schenck Farmstead from a location near Maurice Hawk School, where it had been converted to a four-room residence.
   When the township first acquired the old schoolhouse, the West Windsor Historical Society was not involved in its preservation. Members were concentrating on restoring the farmhouse, which was given to the Historical Society in 1992.
   Now, the Historical Society is focusing on the school building.
   Over the years, the Historical Society has acquired old books, desks, the original stove and school bell to furnish the schoolhouse. The Historical Society plans to make the schoolhouse, like the nearby Schenck House, an educational tool for the township’s children.