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Historic aerial view, c. 1915

Master Preservation Plan

The Community of St. John the Baptist (CSJB) consists of two adjacent early 20th century buildings, the Convent and St. Marguerite’s home surrounded by park-like grounds, which incorporate a wall garden and cemetery. The Convent is French Eclectic in style and was designed by William W. Cordingley and J. Durr Friedley in 1915. St. Marguerite’s now used as a Conference Center is a Tudor/Jacobean Revival structure originally designed as an orphanage in 1908 by James Layng Mills and John Cameron Greenleaf. The Episcopal Sisters belong to the Clower Order established in 1852 in Windsor, England. The Convent was designed and built for them in the early 20th century.

The Preservation Master Plan was funded in 2004 by an Historic Site Management grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust and included an assessment of the Convent, Garden Walls, St. Marguerite’s, the Cemetery Bell Tower, and Walls. The comprehensive assessment has helped prioritize the future restoration work needed at the CSJB. The Plan included an architectural history and National Register Nomination, an assessment of the building exterior conditions, recommendations for prioritized repairs, and a planning document for adaptive use and upgrades to meet current code requirements sensitive to the historic fabric. A detailed cost estimate was prepared and material analysis including mortar and paint analysis as well as stucco restoration mock ups were completed. HBA is proceeding with measured drawings and a Feasibility Study for upgrading the heating system in the Convent, which was a first priority item identified as part of the Preservation Master Plan. CSJB also received a grant for the Master Preservation Plan from Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund in 2005.

www.csjb.org

Chapel at cemetery

Orchard walls