Perkins Center Receives $15,000 Preservation Grant

The Perkins Center for the Arts is badly in need of a coat of paint. With the help of a $15,000 challenge grant and the generosity of local donors, they hope to have the job done by April.

The grant from the Connecticut-based 1772 Foundation, which provides awards for historic preservation, will cover less than half of the estimated $40,000 cost of the project, which includes stripping the paint down to the original wood and making minor repairs.

The main building and carriage house, both listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Buildings, were last painted more than 17 years ago.

“For a 100-year-old building, that’s a long stretch,” said Perkins development manager Jaclyn Wasneski.

Operational and programming needs have taken precedence over building maintenance in recent years, according to Wasneski, and the exterior paint has begun to blister and peel.

“With this economy, we’re really just excited that we can keep the doors open and serve the people we serve,” she said.

The Perkins Center, located at the intersection of Main Street and Camden Avenue, provides a wide range of opportunities in art, music, and dance for people of all ages and abilities. In addition, the center sends artists to school districts that have been forced to cut art programs from their budgets, Wasneski said.

A clear plastic paint can in the lobby has begun filling with brightly colored pompoms, showing the center has collected $17,000 toward its goal of $40,000. Recently, postcards announcing the Paint Perkins! Campaign will be mailed to 4,000 constituents and more will be distributed around town, said Wasneski.

The Tudor Revival-style house was built in 1910 for Alice Sullivan and Dudley Perkins as a wedding gift from Dudley’s parents. The Craftsman-style carriage house, which now houses a dance studio, was built 20 years later.

In 1965, the property was bequeathed to the Township of Moorestown with the suggestion that it be used as an art center. Perkins Center for the Arts was incorporated in 1977.

To make a donation, visit perkinscenter.org.