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Marconi Station Chief Engineer's Cottage Preservation Progress at InfoAge |
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Restoration of the Marconi Station Chief Engineer's Cottage has been completed by InfoAge members.
The exterior of the Manager's cottage looks great. The 1914 built building is masonry throughout.
Click here for a view of the cottage in the August 1914 issue of Wireless Age.
The Marconi Chief Engineer's cottage is one of the original 1914 completed historic buildings.
Today is is completely restored and in use for meetings and offices.
From 1997 to 2001 InfoAge and Wall Township requested in writing the use of this building
and to offered to assume its maintenance as allowed by the BRIM guidelines. The BRAC
office refused time after time.
From the beginning of BRAC in 1993 to 2000 the building was in great shape. A family was living in it until 1996.
In 2001 the building was completely infested with mold and fungus. A plumbing leak caused by a winter without heat filled the
basement with nearly 2 feet of water.
If the BRAC staff had followed their guidelines in the BRIM, the weekly
security check of the building would have discovered the water in the basement before it became a big problem.
Mr. Carl observed water running out of the back door and reported it to BRAC.
The BRAC office could not justify transfering the building in an unsafe condition. They hired a firm to drian the water,
place dehumidifiers to reduce the moisture and repaint the interior. As you can imagine a poor quality job was done.
All the windows were painted shut. The electrical outlets and switches were painted over. But the fungus was stopped.
Finally, in September 2004 BRAC completed the transfer of the building to Wall .
This is the condition the BRAC office allowed the building to get to.
Before BRAC the building was in use and well maintained. A family with children lived there until 1996.
We asked and the township asked BRAC in writing for use of the building and to maintain it.
We did not get permission until the damage was done.
After BRAC - Not ready for reuse....
No heat, no sewer line connection and mold infestation.
Extremely bad, unfit for reuse. Below see what dedicated volunteers turned this front bedroom mess into.
InfoAge goes to work to preserve this building.
The same corner restored to use by the NJ Antique Radio Club. The windows open, the painted shut outlets and switches
were replaced. Lots of hard and details work by volunteers.
This first NJARC team.
The second NJARC team
New Jersey Antique Radio Club president Phil Voutsis repainting the cottage living room.
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Dave Snellman repainting the molding after freeing the window.
Al Klase arrives to help out Harry Klaser and Phil Vourtsis.
Marsha Simkin poses by one of the door locks she removed, took home to clean
all the paint out and reassembled.
Page updated January 6, 2006 page created December 30, 2006