|
Contract Awarded For Rebuilding Of Visitor Center
LINCROFT- On November 5, the Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners awarded a $7.1 million contract to M&M Construction of Union, to reconstruct the Thompson Park Visitor Center.
M&M Construction provided the lowest of nine qualified bids to rebuild the 20,000- square-foot colonial revival mansion. The Visitor Center was destroyed by fire on February 6, 2006.
"We are eager to get this rebuilding effort under way as we look forward to seeing the new and improved Visitor Center take shape," said Freeholder Deputy Director Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System. "The new Thompson Park Visitor Center will be rebuilt on the original mansion site, and will have similar architectural character with an enhanced and slightly larger rear wing. These improvements will provide additional public program space and be fully accessible."
The exterior will include replicas of the distinctive windows and doors from the old building and incorporate chimneys and porch elements salvaged from the fire. It will be painted to match the original yellow and dark green color scheme, and feature the same white Doric- columns in front, as before.
Though the architectural design derives from the former historic structure, it will be a modern building with accessibility at all levels, an elevator and a full sprinkler system. Often referred to as the "crown jewel" of the park system, the 110-yearold Visitor Center was the former home of Geraldine Thompson, whose 215-acre land donation in 1968 helped establish Thompson Park. The building is located on Newman Springs Road/Route 520 in Lincroft.
| 
