BOONTON — Twenty-three projects in Morris County are set to benefit from $3.6 million in grants. These funds, part of an annual initiative, aim to rejuvenate and safeguard historic sites within the locality.
Including this grant disbursement, Morris County has awarded nearly $50 Million on preservation efforts at 122 historic locations since 2003, when awards were first issued for protecting historic sites through Morris County’s Preservation Trust Fund. The properties have benefited through 535 grants, with some properties receiving multiple grants over the years to conduct planning, acquisition, and construction projects.
“The staff and volunteers do a phenomenal job evaluating these applications and recommending how to invest our dollars. People often thank the Commissioners for the money. Still, it ultimately comes from the taxpayers, who always overwhelmingly support these programs, and, fortunately, they do,” stated Commissioner Stephen Shaw, liaison to the Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board.
A non-construction grant of $44,400 will provide first-time funding for the Darress Theatre in Boonton.
Located in downtown Boonton, the Darress Theatre opened in 1921 as a silent film and vaudeville theatre and is certified as contributing to the Boonton Main Street Historic District. The Town of Boonton purchased the property in December 2020 with plans to convert it into a regional performing arts center.
