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| ‘Fantastic
Job’ Future Challenge BERNARDS TWP. – Barely a year after its tattered walls convinced many that it wasn’t worth saving, the newly restored, 18th century English barn on the Rev. Kennedy Farmstead looks like it could go another 200 years. About 20 project supporters gathered at the public park at 450 King George Road on Wednesday morning, Sept. 14, to thank Somerset County officials for providing grant money that funded the work. Among the attendees were county Freeholder Denise Coyle, who lives in the township, Thomas R. D’Amico, historic sites coordinator for the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission, Mayor Carolyn Kelly and other members of the Township Committee. The restoration replaced rotting wood, beams and roof shingles while enclosing the large structure with new doors. The next phase, which still needs funding, would provide utilities and insulation so the barn could house activities like plays, dances or guest lectures. Two other farmstead buildings will be restored next year under a state grant. “Nobody thought we’d get as far as we did,” said John Campbell, president of Friends of the Farmstead, a non-profit group that has leased the four-acre site from the township. “There were a lot of dark days. “One thing’s for sure,” he added. “These buildings are going to stay here, which you couldn’t have said a year ago. We accomplished what we set out to do – to preserve a unique resource for the use and enjoyment of the community.” The farmstead, which extends east to the Passaic River, is part of a 36.5-acre tract that the township acquired in a $3.5 million open space purchase in July 1999. It includes a farmhouse that dates back to 1740, a barn and a wagon house that precede 1800, a cowshed and accessory structures. Past owners included the Rev. Samuel Kennedy, a pastor of the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church who ran a classical school in the 1760s, and Col. Ephrain Martin, a Revolutionary War soldier and legislator. As the site’s history came to light, the township began to seek historic preservation grants. Meanwhile, a township task force proposed that the farm structures be adapted for cultural uses by raising up to $2.2 million. But the proposal was controversial, with some township officials and residents arguing that the structures had deteriorated to the point where they would literally need to be rebuilt. The municipal commitment was capped at $100,000. Nevertheless, the project has gone on to receive four county grants totaling $399,264, with most of the funds going toward preserving the barn. Last November, the project also received a state grant for $440,393, bringing the total funding to $839,657. The county grants funded a two-phase, $250,975 barn restoration contract that was awarded last year to Schtiller & Plevy of Newark. The work was completed in the spring. Nearly all the exterior siding – which only dated to the 1920s – was replaced with fresh wood that has yet to be painted, making the barn look almost new. Inside, several foundation beams were replaced, although the original roof rafters and diagonal windbreakers remained. “The greatest privilege is watching the replacement of beams and posts by four to five workmen with nothing heavier than chain saws, jackhammers and crow bars,” Campbell told supporters inside the barn. “They did it over a period of months, and they did a fantastic job. “We made no attempt to make the newly replaced material look old,” he said. “We didn’t try to fool anyone. But we made every effort to keep the barn as it’s always been.” Kelly thanked the freeholders for their support. “The project is very large in scope, and the county came to the rescue on numerous occasions,” she said. Coyle called the project a product of partnerships between local, county and state governments. She noted that in the last eight years, the county had also spent $13 million to preserve open space in the township. Campbell said two additional improvements to the barn were looming – painting the exterior walls red with white trim; and installing a cement floor. He said the state grant, which has yet to be tapped, would fund those improvements. The state money would also be used to restore the farmhouse and the wagon house sometime next year, he said. At that point, the three structures would be preserved but not habitable. Improvements to the house, and providing the barn and wagon house with plumbing, electricity, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, would cost about $1.5 million. The barn was constructed between 1770 and 1800, with an addition being built on the western end around 1840, Campbell said. It has a 30-by-83-foot exterior footprint and could hold about 60 people. “The future challenge for the Friends of the Farmstead is to partner with cultural arts groups and individuals to get down to specifics – how to use this space,” Campbell said. “None of us is an expert in the arts.” He said his group has discussed the possibilities with the Bedminster-based Somerset Art Association, which was “quite enthusiastic.” He noted that any installation of lighting or stage equipment would need to be “minimal” and not obscure the historic elements. Residents at the event were impressed with what they saw. “The before and after are incredible,” said Larry Terricone of Basking Ridge. “The Friends of the Farmstead are just such a dedicated, wonderful group to do this.” Mildred Van Dyke of Basking Ridge saw great potential for the barn. “It will be a wonderful place for organizations to hold things even beyond the arts, like square dancing,” she said. The mood provided a contrast to a Township Committee tour of the farmstead in July 2004. That day, Committeeman Ali Chaudry pointedly observed that “99 percent” of the barn would be replaced, and he suggested that it would make more sense to replace it rather than restore it. Chaudry, who attended last week’s event, said he was “delighted” with the project’s progress. When asked if he thought the restoration made the barn look new, he voiced no qualms. “I think sometimes you have to make compromises,” he said. “Once it’s painted, it’s going to look like what it used to be. I think the value is in what people are going to do with it.” Campbell was also untroubled by the “new” appearance. “If you look at the outside, it’s just a building,” he said. “If you look inside, it’s an impressive way to see how people used to do things. “The more you get done, the easier it is to get the next thing done,” he added. “We’re getting to the point where someone says, ‘You could do this, you could do that.’ People are bringing a vision and enthusiasm to the project.”
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| ©Recorder Newspapers 2005 |
