The New Jersey Historic Trust voted to recommend a Historic Site Management Grant for $9,634 to Van Riper House, Inc., at its annual meeting Sept. 25, 2024. The funds will be used for the preparation of nominations to the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places for the Van Riper House, an 18th century Dutch farmhouse in dire need of restoration in Nutley.
The balance of the plan’s total estimated cost of $12,845 will be funded by funds the organization has on hand in accordance with the grant’s three-to-one matching provision. The grant award represents another major milestone in the organization’s progress since its reorganization in 2019. It is the culmination of many hours of volunteer work, encompassing major fundraising, strategic planning and grassroots community outreach.
The proposed nominations will be developed by Hunter Research, Inc., New Jersey’s premier investigative history firm, led by principal architectural historian Patrick Harshbarger. Hunter Research’s strengths in the area of nomination preparation are the result of the firm’s more than 30 years of working in New Jersey during which they have gained an intimate knowledge of how the listing process works.
The nominations will benefit from findings of a preservation plan developed by Hunter for the house over the last two years, also funded in part by a trust grant. Listing on the registers will allow the organization to raise capital funds for major restoration projects, and is a key component of the plan’s proposed project schedule.
Final acceptance of the nominations are expected to take 18 months. If listed, the Van Riper House will join the Nutley Museum, Kingsland Manor, former Women’s Club (Vreeland House) and the Enclosure Historic District on the New Jersey and National Registers.
The application process for the grant was executed by Dante Intindola, president of Van Riper House, Inc.
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