The first phase of a multiyear preservation project for the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, located in Madison, New Jersey, was completed on February 4, 2016.
For the past three years, funding for the renovation and restoration project has come from two sources: the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund and Madison Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Fund. To date, the project has been funded by Morris County with the amount of $386,614 and $235,000 in matching funds from the Borough of Madison.
There are still a few more years for the project, which will, besides preservation, include repairs, restorations, and moisture mitigation. Water infiltration has been a major issue for the building over the years.
The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts is luckier than other museums searching for preservation funding. The museum, which is located inside one of the most alluring buildings in the Garden State, houses a vast collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century objects used by craftspeople and artisans of the time period.
The James Library Building, where the museum is located, was built in 1900 and donated to the citizens of Madison by philanthropist D. Willis James. Before the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, the building served as the Madison Public Library, which, in 1967, moved to its current location in another part of town. The museum’s founder, Edgar Land, entered a long-term lease on the building with the borough some years later.
The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts is open during the restoration process from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays and 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Activities include participating in programs and lectures, enjoying the architecture of the building from the inside, dropping in to create some crafts, and viewing their exhibitions. Their current exhibition, The Milliner’s Tale: The Craft of Hat Making, is now on view through June 2016.
To read more about the funding for the restoration, view the original article here.
From: Madison Eagle