The Presbyterian Church at Bound Brook Receives Grant for Development of a Historic Preservation Plan

Trenton, N.J. – The New Jersey Historic Trust (NJHT) has recommended a grant of $29,178.00 to the Presbyterian Church at Bound Brook for the preparation of a nomination to list the church on the New Jersey State and National Registers of Historic Places and for the preparation of a Preservation Plan to restore the structural integrity, exterior architecture, and public accessibility of its landmark building at the corner of Mountain and Union Avenues in Bound Brook, N.J.

This Preservation Plan is an important first step in receiving possible additional grants from the NJHT to assist with preservation activities on the 108-year-old building. This work is expected to supplement the church’s plans for a three-year interior restoration and renovation to the building.

“We’re very pleased that the state has recognized the historic value of this important local landmark,” said the Reverend Louis Kilgore, pastor of the Bound Brook church. “Our building has become familiar to a culturally rich community and we want to preserve it as an important community symbol for future generations.”

Completed in 1898, the church at the corner of Mountain and Union Avenues replaced the congregation’s previous church, which was lost in devastating fire in 1896. The present congregation, with more than 600 members from throughout the Raritan Valley, has embarked on a three-year building campaign to raise $1.4 million for restoration of the building’s interior spaces. Renowned architect Oscar S. Teal designed the Bound Brook church.

“New Jersey’s historic treasures are the keys to our past,” said Acting Governor Richard J. Codey referring to $1.3 million in recommended funding which included the Bound Brook grant. “By preserving the parts of our history that have shaped the Garden State, we can better understand and embrace the common ground that we all share.”