Quantcast
Passaic County gets $2.25 million state grant to rehabilitate historic Lambert Castle | Paterson Times

Passaic County gets $2.25 million state grant to rehabilitate historic Lambert Castle

Lambert-Castle

The New Jersey Historic Trust has awarded a $2.25 million grant to Passaic County to rehabilitate the historic Lambert Castle in Paterson.

Funding will be received over a three-year period. New Jersey Historic Trust officials announced an increment of $750,000 for the multi-phased project in late September. The Lambert Castle project is one of just five to receive multi-phase grant awards in the state.

Funds will be used to repair the exterior and interior of the nineteenth century castle. Part of the rehabilitation includes restoration of the adjacent Carriage House which will be repurposed to house a visitor center, office suites, community meeting space, and a permanent library for the Passaic County Historical Society’s archive.

“Once restored, Lambert Castle is going to be an attraction for visitors in the metropolitan region, and an anchor of economic growth in Passaic County,” Passaic County freeholder Pasquale “Pat” Lepore said.

$2.25 million is not enough to fully restore Lambert Castle built in 1892, then-known as Belle Vista, by silk magnate Catholina Lambert. Full rehabilitation is estimated to cost $8.5 million, according to an assessment by historic preservation architectural firm Clarke Caton Hintz. Passaic County officials will use Open Space, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund to match grants.

Lambert Castle has been the home of the Passaic County Historical Society’s museum and archives.

“On behalf of the Passaic County Historical Society, we want to thank the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders for its commitment to protecting Passaic County’s historic sites, and its investment in the rehabilitation of Lambert Castle and Carriage House,” A. Michael Rubin, president of the Passaic County Historical Society, said. “The County has provided assistance to the Passaic County Historical Society to relocate and protect our extensive holdings of library archives, artifacts, paintings, and historic objects for the duration of the repairs at Lambert Castle. I look forward to the Society’s continued collaboration with the County in ensuring that the Lambert Castle Museum remains a regional tourist attraction and educational resource on Passaic County’s rich history.”

Clarke Caton Hintz is preparing construction documents for Passaic County and is slated to be completed by the end of the year. Passaic County officials are expected to go out to bid in early 2020 for the project.

Repairs will take approximately three years.

Lambert Castle and the surrounding area will be closed to the public starting January 1, 2020.

Top