$37K Requested To Restore Historic Parsippany Farm

PARSIPPANY, NJ — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners is adding their support to the preservation of Parsippany's historic Craftsman Farms.

The board was asked earlier this week to approve $3.6 million in grants from the county's Preservation Trust Fund to help restore, preserve, and protect 23 historic sites in 15 towns throughout Morris County.

Among these was Craftsman Farms, which is located at 2352 NJ-10 in Parsippany-Troy Hills.

Approximately 88 percent of the funding recommended by the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board is directed toward construction grants for 17 of the projects.

These grants will pay for design and specification work for future construction on four sites, preservation planning for one, and research and development for another in order to submit a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, Inc. applied for $37,620 in funding for the historic house.

The recommended grant will pay for the replacement of deteriorated log ends with seasoned white oak pinned with stainless steel rods.

Gustav Stickley, a leader in the American Arts and Crafts movement, owned the 650-acre property that the 1911 Log House sits on. It contributes to the National Historic Landmark and the NJ Register.

According to the County Commissioners, the Log House is a significant landmark of American design.

The garage and workshop building at Craftsman Farms was built in 1912, about a year after the main building at the National Historic Landmark site, the log house. After a major fire around 1950, the upper portion of the structure was reconstructed as two residential apartments.

In 1989, the township purchased the remaining 30 acres of Craftsman Farms, which was designated a historic landmark the following year.

Today, the nonprofit Stickley Museum shares its story with Stickley fans around the world.

"I want to commend the staff and all the volunteers. They do a phenomenal job evaluating these applications and making recommendations on how to invest our dollars. People often thank the Commissioners for the money, but it ultimately comes from the taxpayers, who always overwhelmingly support these programs, and it’s fortunate that they do," Commissioner Stephen Shaw said.

Since 2003, when grants were first issued for protecting historic sites through Morris County's Preservation Trust Fund, Morris County has awarded 512 grants totaling nearly $46 million to assist in the preservation, protection, and restoration of 122 historical properties.