Constructed as St. James Chapel in 1879, the Church of the Presidents is the last landmark associated with the Gilded Age in Long Branch, and the only house of worship outside of Washington D.C. attended by seven different presidents.  While the church closed in the 1950s, the building was renamed Church of the Presidents and remained open as a museum until 1999, when structural concerns forced the building’s closure for safety reasons.  The building’s structural instability is associated with the construction of the massive tower in 1895.

The Trust grant will help fund two phases of the proposed restoration.  The stabilization of the former nave is complete, and the next phase will include exterior restoration of the wood shingle cladding, masonry repairs and roof and water conductions systems.  Future work will address electrical systems and interior finish work that will enable the building to open again to the public.

For more information, visit: http://www.churchofthepresidents.org/About%20the%20LBHMA.htm