A grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust’s 1772 Foundation will be used to rehabilitate Grover House. MIDDLETOWN — The historic Grover House in Middletown will receive a facelift to preserve its historical features, thanks to an incoming grant.
According to a press release from the township, the $10,000 grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust’s 1772 Foundation will include rehabilitation of the roofline, porch, shutters and downspouts.
The exterior work is part of a larger restoration plan that includes restoration of the exterior and interior utilities of the circa- 1730 Grover House.
“We have gotten grants in the past — fairly sizable ones, too. And with those, we did the exterior of the building. Those grants were from New Jersey Historic Trust,” Councilman Gerard Scharfenberger said.
The previous grants were for $300,000. Scharfenberger said the recent funds will be used to rehabilitate the house without stripping away its historical qualities.
“Sometimes you see historical houses be covered in vinyl siding and get completely redone, but this is a time capsule of architecture from the 17th and 18th century,” he said. “This is important to preserve.”
Scharfenberger said the farmhouse, located at 940 West Front St., was built in 1730 and retains the original architecture.
“Porches are later additions, but the building is still very authentic as to what the origins of the building were,” he said. “The elements of all the historic architecture it is known for are still there.”
Looking toward the future, the Grover House will include a small maritime facility for use by the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association (NMHA), a nonprofit group that is renting the structure as its headquarters.
According to the press release, the NMHA plans to refurbish and remodel the interior space for use as offices, meeting rooms and educational programming, while retaining the historical architecture of the house. The nonprofit also plans to erect a 1,600-square-foot maritime activity center that would be used to teach adults and youth about small-boat building. It would be a one-story, post-and-beam-type building that matches the aesthetics of the Grover House.
The Grover House is a rare surviving example of two-story, Dutch timber framing and the use of round-butt shingles. The house was constructed circa 1730 by descendants of James Grover, one of the original 12 patentees of the Monmouth Patent. The house remained in the family until the death of the last descendant, Anna Lum, in 1983.
It was first moved in 1953 to make way for the Garden State Parkway and a second time in 1996 when a suburban subdivision threatened its demolition.
The house now rests off West Front Street at Stevenson Park.