May 17, 2012Fenton History Center Improvements Grant
Mayor Sam Teresi signs an $81,060 grant contract from the State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Office for facade improvements to the Fenton Mansion. Joining him are Fenton History Center board members Julie Hall and Martin Lydell, and executive director Joni Blackman.
Fenton Restoration
State Grant To Aid History Center With Repairs
From The Post-Journal, by Kristen Johnson
Repairs that will stop the exterior of the Fenton History Center from deteriorating further could soon be under way.
Joni Blackman, the center's director, Friday announced the receipt of $81,060 in grant money from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for work on the Fenton mansion's exterior masonry and woodwork.
''This is a great opportunity to fix the house up,'' Ms. Blackman said. ''The city just doesn't have the funding to do it, even though they do feel it's an important asset. This grant money will really go a long way toward preserving the mansion.''
Grant money will be used for the restoration of the masonry, windows, soffits, column bases, and trims at the mansion, along with stonework repairs and cleaning, Ms. Blackman said.
There's a great deal of work to be done on the mansion, she said. There is damage to the building's south side, where some bricks are wearing away and others have lost their seal and are beginning to work their way loose.
''The vibrations from heavy traffic on Route 60 don't help,'' she said. ''In some places, water has been able to get in behind the bricks and cause damage to the home's structure. With the winter weather, ice can get in there and really do some damage. There are several cracks in the mortar and at least five places where ice damage has been significant. A lot of the woodwork is in bad shape, particularly on the porches, soffits and trimwork.''
The grant requires a one-to-one match, though, and Ms. Blackman said she will soon be ''on the prowl'' for $81,060 to match the state grant.
''We're going to need the community's support,'' she said. ''This work is very important - if we don't take care of our building, the damage will continue to get worse and, before we know it, we'll have a major problem on our hands.''
The mansion's historical significance went ''a long way'' toward getting the grant - for which Ms. Blackman applied in June 2008 - approved, she said. Typically, state historic preservation grants go to organizations whose buildings are in serious need of repair. But because the Fenton mansion is in relatively good condition, Ms. Blackman said she was worried it would be ''farther down the list'' and may not win the grant.
Repair work on the mansion is part of a larger project that will expand the Fenton History Center into two buildings, Ms. Blackman said.
In 2009, the Fenton History Center acquired the Hall Home, which sits adjacent to the Fenton mansion and was built sometime around 1846. Soon, the center will move most of its ''behind-the-scenes'' functions to the Hall Home, including the research center, an exhibit workroom, collections management, textile storage and photograph collection management. Extra space at the Hall home will be used for retail and office functions and will be rented, Ms. Blackman said.
''We have a lot of things planned, but first and foremost we have to take care of the mansion,'' she said. ''This grant is a huge opportunity to do that.''