http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-08222007-1396148.html
SHAMONG — The long-awaited restoration of Atsion Mansion could begin this fall.
Dana Loschiavo, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental protection, said yesterday the restoration project was put out to bid to contractors on Friday. The bids are due back to the department next month.
The department's Division of Parks and Forestry received approval from the state Pinelands Commission in January 2006 to move forward with the restoration.
Loschiavo said the renovation will cost approximately $1.2 million and will be funded by the state.
“It's been a long time in the making,” Loschiavo said. “The mansion has been closed to the public for a decade now and we're happy to be moving forward with the restoration.”
Built in 1826, the mansion sits in the Pinelands along Route 206 in the Wharton State Forest.
Plans call for the mansion to be restored to what it was in 1826 when Philadelphia entrepreneur Samuel Richards built it as a summer home.
The restoration design calls for a new roof and a 610-square-foot porch around the west side of the mansion. The original porch on that side of the house was torn down in the 1960s.
The restoration plans also will focus on the mansion's rural Greek revival architecture. Modern amenities such as plumbing will not be added to the mansion, Loschiavo said.
Guided tours of the mansion are planned once the restoration is complete.
The property was passed down through Richards' heirs after his death in 1842, and was sold to Col. William Patterson in 1862. In 1871, Philadelphia native Maurice Raleigh purchased the mansion for $48,000.
The Raleigh family was the last to use the mansion as a residence. Philadelphia financier Joseph Wharton purchased the property in 1892 and used the mansion for packing and storing purposes for his cranberry production.
The state acquired the property in 1955.
SHAMONG — The long-awaited restoration of Atsion Mansion could begin this fall.
Dana Loschiavo, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental protection, said yesterday the restoration project was put out to bid to contractors on Friday. The bids are due back to the department next month.
The department's Division of Parks and Forestry received approval from the state Pinelands Commission in January 2006 to move forward with the restoration.
Loschiavo said the renovation will cost approximately $1.2 million and will be funded by the state.
“It's been a long time in the making,” Loschiavo said. “The mansion has been closed to the public for a decade now and we're happy to be moving forward with the restoration.”
Built in 1826, the mansion sits in the Pinelands along Route 206 in the Wharton State Forest.
Plans call for the mansion to be restored to what it was in 1826 when Philadelphia entrepreneur Samuel Richards built it as a summer home.
The restoration design calls for a new roof and a 610-square-foot porch around the west side of the mansion. The original porch on that side of the house was torn down in the 1960s.
The restoration plans also will focus on the mansion's rural Greek revival architecture. Modern amenities such as plumbing will not be added to the mansion, Loschiavo said.
Guided tours of the mansion are planned once the restoration is complete.
The property was passed down through Richards' heirs after his death in 1842, and was sold to Col. William Patterson in 1862. In 1871, Philadelphia native Maurice Raleigh purchased the mansion for $48,000.
The Raleigh family was the last to use the mansion as a residence. Philadelphia financier Joseph Wharton purchased the property in 1892 and used the mansion for packing and storing purposes for his cranberry production.
The state acquired the property in 1955.