Beach Haven Historic Preservation Advisory Commission seeks federal funding for rehabilitation projects

During the Beach Haven Historic Preservation Advisory Commission’s more than 10 years of service, the group has managed to acquire local and state identification for Beach Haven’s historic homes. The HPAC, which monitors alterations and new construction of 384 properties in the Beach Haven historic district, has now made formal application for the district to be registered in the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. The registration enhances the ability of the district’s homeowners to receive funding for restoration of their properties. It involves no restrictions on what a homeowner may do to his or her property, which is controlled at the local level, explained June MacFarlane, one of HPAC’s seven commissioners.

Photo via Williams Cottage Inn
The Williams Cottage Inn, Located in Beach
Haven's historic district, is listed in the state
and national historic registers.

“Presently there’s no money at all, either in the federal government or the state government or the local government, to rehab any of these places. But in the future there will be,” said Jeanette Lloyd, chairwoman of HPAC. “A lot of these federal grants for restoration and rehabilitation you can’t get without a federal number. So we wanted to make sure that we gave the option to our people. Do they have to use it? No, but it will be there if they want to,” she explained.

In honor of the nomination, Sara Andre, a representative from the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office, presented a slideshow after HPAC’s monthly meeting, held Tuesday, Feb. 25. The slideshow explained the benefits of being listed on the two registers. A display of graphics from the application and explanations of the building details of certain sites was also shown.

The registration application was professionally prepared by Westfield Preservation Architects and Consultants of Haddon Heights and contains descriptions of each property, a specially created plot map of the district classifying each property, the borough history and a selection of pictures. The process, which included photography of the entire district, began in June 2011, but was delayed a year by Superstorm Sandy.

“We would have had this done a year and a half ago if Sandy hadn’t interfered, so this was backtracked and held up,” said Lloyd.

The district is somewhat smaller than the local historic district since its borders were decided by the state of New Jersey, said MacFarlane. The proposed National Historic District goes from Chatsworth Avenue to Fifth Street and from Atlantic Avenue to just before Bay Avenue. Veterans Bicentennial Park is considered the center of the historic district.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.