Historic Lodge Receives $100K For Restoration In Madison

MADISON, NJ — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners approved $2.65 million in grants from the county's Preservation Trust Fund to help restore, preserve and protect historic sites in the county.

One of the 29 projects, the restoration, and renovation of Madison Masonic Lodge, is receiving $100,000.

The Madison Masonic Lodge, located at 170 Main Street in Madison, was originally owned by the First Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township but was sold to the Madison and Chatham area Masons in 1930.

The Madison Lodge group was established on Nov. 8, 1814, when Madison was still known as Chatham. According to the Madison Lodge website, the lodge was founded by three Masons from Cincinnati Lodge in Morristown, two from other lodges in New Jersey, one from a lodge in Washington, D.C., and three from lodges in New York.

The group held its first meeting on July 9, 1868, and Madison Lodge No. 93 received its Warrant on Jan. 21, 1869. In the interim, Waverly Place had been built, and the lodge held its meetings on the third floor of Oriental Hall, now 17 Waverly Place.

The Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board recommended all of the selected projects last month, with approximately 83 percent of the funding to be focused on construction work involving 15 projects.

The remaining 17 percent will go toward 15 non-construction projects, such as preservation planning, pre-construction planning and design work.

“Morris County has now approved nearly $46 million derived from our Preservation Trust Fund to restore and preserve 122 historic sites in the 20 years since the voters overwhelming approved of dedicating a fund to protect our American heritage,” said Commissioner Director Tayfun Selen. “Both our Preservation Trust Fund Review Board and our Office of Planning and Preservation have been instrumental in helping us to select the most worthy projects for support and to see this important preservation effort continues. We thank them for their crucial work.”