Historic Morven
Lime wash over brick

Project Description

Morven was constructed in 1758 by Richard Stockton, a graduate of the first class of The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University); prominent lawyer; delegate in the Continental Congress; and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Morven, meaning “Big Hill” in Gaelic, sits on land granted to Richard Stockton’s grandfather by William Penn and had been previously settled by the Lenni Lenape. Richard Stockton’s wife, Annis Boudinot Stockton was one of our Country’s earliest published female poets, and called “the elegant Muse of Morven” by George Washington.

After Richard and Annis, four descendant generations of Stocktons lived at Morven until 1928 when it was leased to Johnson & Johnson Chairman, General Robert Wood Johnson. After Johnson’s term of residence, Morven next served as the State of New Jersey Governor’s Mansion, from 1945 to 1981. Uon undergoing a major renovation and restoration beginning in 1999, Morven became Morven Museum and Garden opening to the public in 2004.

Morven is a Colonial Style mansion constructed of thick, mass masonry brick walls with a lime whitewash exterior finish. Now twenty-five years after the most recent restoration, the mansion was in need of a preservation and maintenance campaign. Morven Museum and Garden sought to pursue a project involving stripping of the existing whitewash and layers of earlier paint coatings, cleaning of biological soiling and accumulations, limited repointing and localized repair of the masonry.

Masonry Preservation Group, Inc. was invited to submit qualifications demonstrating experience in historic preservation with specific emphasis on lime mortars, plasters and lime whitewashing. After acceptance of its qualifications, Masonry Preservation Group, Inc. submitted a competitive bid proposal for the project, resulting in award of Contract. Morven Museum & Garden remained open, active and occupied throughout the course of construction. Disturbance to the occupants and events schedule was minimized though careful planning and coordination between MPG and Morven’s managing staff. Completion was achieved well in advance of the contract schedule duration, and with stop-work accommodation for two weddings and other events as part of Morven’s programming. Thanks to MPG’s skilled and talented craftspeople, the work performance was excellent and the more than quarter millennia old façade has been preserved and protected, looking bright, fresh and ready to face the weather for years to come.