Lake Hopatcong Station recommended for $330k in historic preservation funding

July 30, 2020| Community, LHF Environmental & Cultural Center

By: Holly Odgers

The Lake Hopatcong Foundation is thrilled to announce that the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board has recommended a $331,633 grant for site restoration at the Lake Hopatcong Train Station as part of a total of 4.4 million in county grants to help preserve, restore, or protect 28 historic sites in 18 towns across Morris County!

“The restoration, rehabilitation, and preservation work that is aided by this voter-approved grant program allows us to preserve and better understand Morris County’s history, and it maintains important links to our past, ’’ said Morris County Freeholder Stephen Shaw.

The recommendations were presented at the July 22 Morris County Board of Freeholders meeting and Freeholders will make a final decision on the recommendations at their August 12 public meeting.

See a summary of all the recommended projects HERE.

“We are so grateful for the continued support of the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust as we bring this building back to life as our office and as community space for residents of the Lake Hopatcong area and beyond. And we are excited for this next step, which will take us toward the final chapter of this rehabilitation project," said Lake Hopatcong Foundation Executive Director Jessica K. Murphy. 

"As so many of us look forward to the days when we can gather together in person again, we’re thrilled that we will continue to be able to do so in a beautiful building that is so rich with history," said Lake Hopatcong Foundation Grants and Program Director Donna Macalle-Holly. "We cannot thank the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders enough for their faith in us and their unwavering commitment to historical preservation.”

This grant from the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund, if approved by the County of Morris Board of Chosen Freeholders, will provide funds to complete the rehabilitation of the train station so the site can provide an environment that permits interior and exterior programming while also enhancing the site features designed and installed when the station was constructed.  The project will include:

• Planting and hardscape landscape improvements
• Lighting to improve visibility and to enhance use of the building exterior during events
• Restoration of the concrete and metal fence and the water fountain
• Installation of a door opening in the rear of the vestibule

“The many dedicated county residents who work to maintain our history, which offers lessons for the present and ensures an inheritance for our future, deserve our sincere thanks,’’ said Ray Chang, Historic Preservation Program Coordinator for Morris County. “These county grants assist their efforts to ensure that our county’s heritage and architectural legend are sustained.”