Benefit for Church of Presidents restoration
BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

Church of the Presidents

LONG BRANCH - - The Long Branch Historical Museum Association (LBHMA) will host a cocktail reception Aug. 16 at the Ocean Beach Club on Ocean Avenue to benefit the restoration of the Church of the Presidents.

The event will be run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Proceeds will fund the remaining work needed to complete the exterior restoration of the church, which is the last remaining building associated with the U.S. presidents who vacationed in Long Branch, according to a press release from LBHMA.

Admission to the event is $100 and contributions are tax-deductible.

Reservations can be made by sending payment to LBHMA, P.O. Box 2204, Elberon 07740. For more information, call (732) 223-0874.

Work remaining on the exterior of the building includes repairs to the shingle siding and trim distinguishing the structure as well as its brick foundation and masonry.

The repairs and upgrades must be completed before interior restoration can begin, according to the release.

This year a new roof and rain gutters were installed and the wood framing of the building was reinforced. The structure's imposing tower has also been restored.

Funding for the roof replacement was provided through the New Jersey Historic Trust, the National Park Service and the Monmouth County Historical Commission.

According to the release, the exterior restoration comprises phase two of a four-phase preservation plan that includes infrastructure repairs and upgrades that must be completed before the site can be reopened to the public.

A $25,000 stabilization project, which was the first phase of the project, was completed in 2003, saving the structure from impending collapse.

More than $620,000 has been spent on the exterior restoration to date, and the cost of remaining exterior and interior work is expected to exceed $1 million, according to the release.

The church, which was built in 1879, is owned by the LBHMA and gained fame as the Church of the Presidents because it was visited by vacationing presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and Woodrow Wilson,

The building was deconsecrated and saved from demolition in 1953 and functioned as a museum until instability forced its closure in 1999. It is listed on both the State of New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.

For more information, visit www.churchofthepresidents.org.