Project Information

Preservation Plan & National Register Nomination
Completed 2013

Renovation
Completed 2018

Size: 2,000 SF  & 1,000 SF for new caretaker’s cottage
Year Constructed: 1816 (Altered 1836)
Historic Designation
National Register of Historic Places

Client

Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation
Awarded:  29th Annual New Jersey Historic Preservation Award from the NJ Historic Preservation Office – 2021

In 1816 Cedar Bridge Tavern was constructed along a stagecoach route between Mt. Holly and Little Egg Harbor on the eastern shore of New Jersey. Around 1836, the gabled, two-story Tavern was added onto with a separate wood frame structure, bringing it to its current size. 

In 2009, Cedar Bridge Tavern received a Historic Sites Management Grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust, which funded a Preservation Plan. Historic Building Architects (HBA) led the project team, which evaluated exterior and interior conditions, assessed the structure and MEP  systems, completed material analysis on mortar, paint, and plaster, and prepared a schematic landscape design. Extensive non-destructive testing was completed to confirm deteriorated conditions, including thermographic and radar surveys, dendrochronology, and resistance drilling. As part of the Preservation Plan, the team prepared a National Register Nomination, which was accepted. HBA also worked with Ocean County Parks and Recreation staff, community leaders, and educators to evaluate and identify potential programming options for the Tavern.

HBA was then selected to prepare documents for the rehabilitation and preservation of the Tavern and site. Rehabilitation of the site includes the construction of a new caretaker’s cottage which was nestled into the sensitive site. Construction is currently under way, including preservation of extensive interior finishes. The building is being converted into a regional cultural center with interactive exhibits on local food ways to be explored in an exhibition kitchen, and on building chronology and the preservation of this highly intact vernacular structure.