HOWELL – The future of the MacKenzie Museum and Library remains uncertain, but is under discussion by members of the Howell Township Council.
Deputy Mayor Evelyn O’Donnell raised the issue of what to do with the building during the council’s Feb. 5 meeting. O’Donnell said she would like the governing body act as soon as possible.
The MacKenzie Museum and Library, 427 Lakewood-Farmingdale Road (Route 547), Howell, is owned by a nonprofit organization, the Howell Historical Society. The building contains historic artifacts, but has been closed to the public for years because it requires more than $150,000 in renovations, according to municipal officials.
The home had its origins as a settler’s cabin between 1730 and 1750. A grist mill was built in 1779 and the cabin became the miller’s home. In the mid-1800s an addition was built. The grist mill burned down in the 1920s. In 1956, Jessie and James MacKenzie purchased the house and the MacKenzie family owned it until 1982.
The house “is one of the historic homes in Howell, owned by the township … The contents were donated when (a historical society) was in full swing. At this point the house is in desperate need of repair,” O’Donnell said.
She said the three newest council members may not have seen a report which describes the present state of the building.
Jim Herrman, Howell’s director of community development, informed the new council members the building needs structural and cosmetic repairs at a cost that could exceed $150,000.
“That (expense) would just be to bring the building up to standards that would be enough to let people back into it. We have not really allowed people into it, with the exception of here and there, for two years. (School children) used to go through, but we stopped that for fear of some structural issues and some safety issues in the building,” he said.
Herrman said Howell is paying about $8,700 per year for alarms, electricity and propane “and no one is really using the building.” He said donated historic artifacts “are becoming destroyed. There was some talk about moving the artifacts to another secure location.”
O’Donnell said there was a research library in the building. She said those materials have been preserved and packed into boxes.
“I would like to be able to come to a decision within the next several weeks as to what the determination is going to be with this building,” she said.
O’Donnell said the historical society that is currently in charge of accepting donations has not responded to inquiries from the township attorney.
Officials at nearby Allaire State Park “are interested in buying the (MacKenzie) property, but at any rate my feeling is we either put money into the building, repair it properly and bring it back to its original standards so people can visit the museum and research library, or we go through the books because there are a lot of items that were donations.
“(We should) make sure these (donated items) are returned to the rightful owner and then the property could be sold to Allaire. The worst thing that can happen is for us to continue on the path we have been on and nothing is done,” O’Donnell said.
Councilman John Bonevich, who joined the governing body in January, said Howell officials discussed the matter in early 2017 and “it looks like $17,000 in utilities (has been spent since then) and nothing has been done since the last time it was brought up.”
Mayor Theresa Berger asked if Allaire State Park administrators would be interested in preserving the building or if it would have to be demolished.
“Allaire State Park is not interested in the house. This house is not historically valuable because it is not the original house that was there,” Herrman said.
He said the building’s septic system and well would have to be removed if Howell officials want to sell the property.
Councilman Thomas Russo thanked O’Donnell for raising the issue of the MacKenzie Museum and Library.
“I remember going there on class trips as a kid, it was a great time. It was really cool to go somewhere close to home that was so historical. I would like to see something done about this. (The MacKenzie house) is the first thing you see when you come off Interstate 195 and enter Howell. Seeing it in disrepair does a disservice to the town,” Russo said.
