Rehab Of Local Landmark In Livingston Will Require Some Extra Funding

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Livingston town officials are trying to round up some extra funding to rehabilitate a local historical landmark: the Old Force Homestead on South Livingston Avenue.

The property – one of the best preserved early farmhouses in the area, according to the state of New Jersey – was built around 1745. The home was owned in the 1790s by the family of Thomas Force, a corporal in Captain Squire’s 2nd Essex Regiment in the American Revolution, and family members built on it over the decades.

The Old Force Homestead has given out public tours in the past, but the property closed last year for renovations. See Related: Last Chance To See 1745 Historic Site In Livingston Before It Closes For Years

Township manager Barry Lewis offered an update on the situation at Tuesday’s town council meeting.

According to Lewis, the property is in a “significant state of disrepair.” The township applied for – and was awarded – about $550,000 in state grants a few years ago. But as the process unfolded, the price tag began rising due pandemic-related costs and the condition of the building, which will require work to its inside, outside, foundation, roof, walls and insulation.

The council subsequently voted to approve a resolution that allows the township to apply for more grant funding. It reads:

“The township council of the Township of Livingston authorizes submission of this application for assistance from the New Jersey Historic Trust. The township council further authorizes Barry R. Lewis Jr., township manager, to complete and sign application documents on behalf of the organization. The township council further authorizes that, if awarded the grant, matching funds in the amount of $370,750 are committed to complete this project within the required time frame and are or will be available from the township’s Open Space and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.”

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