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Reps Praise Historic Site Completion

Vitale & Coughlin Praise Completion of Perth Amboy Historic Site’s Restoration and Improvement Project

$110K NJ Historic Trust Grant Used to Repair and 

Restore Surveyor General’s Office

Press Release 4/13/17

Perth Amboy – Senator Joseph F. Vitale and Assemblyman Craig Coughlin praised the recent completion of the restoration and improvement of the Surveyor General’s Office in Perth Amboy, a site listed in both the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places.

“Perth Amboy played an important role in the earliest days of our nation’s founding. The New Jersey Legislature met there to ratify the first ten amendments to the Constitution, making New Jersey the first state to approve the Bill of Rights. The Surveyor General’s Office is a part of that long, rich history,” said Senator Vitale. “The building endured centuries as New Jersey changed from proprietary colony to royal colony and finally to statehood, and its restoration is a part of preserving our state’s history and architectural heritage.”

“Preserving New Jersey’s historic buildings represents a commitment to preserving the state’s culture and place in history,” said Assemblyman Coughlin. “We are grateful that the Historic Trust has recognized the significance of one of Perth Amboy’s historic gems, and repaired and improved the Surveyor General’s Office so that our region’s heritage is not lost for future generations.”

Through a grant from the Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund in the amount of $110,635, the project included interior and exterior repair and restoration of the slate roof, masonry, wood cornice, windows and doors, plaster walls and ceilings, and wood trim, as well as improvements to ADA access and the HVAC and electrical systems.

The Surveyor General’s Office was built in the mid-1800s adjacent to City Hall to serve as the meeting place and record archive of the General Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey, representing the landlords of the colonial province of East New Jersey, as well as the office of the Surveyor General. The two-room, brick building was designed by Francis W. Brinley and features Greek Revival and Romanesque architectural styles. It continued to serve as the headquarters for the Board of Proprietors until 1998, when the board dissolved itself. The City of Perth Amboy acquired the building in 1998, and its three centuries of records and maps were transferred to the State Archives in Trenton.

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