E2PM prepared a Preservation Plan for the Lake Drive School building in Mountain Lakes, Morris County, New Jersey. Constructed in 1914, the school building is a contributing resource in the Mountain Lakes Historic District and is a regional school for deaf and hearing impaired students. As part of the background research for the project, E2PM reviewed and analyzed primary documents at the Morris County and Mountain Lakes archives. E2PM prepared a room by room description of the existing conditions of the interior of the building and also photographed the interior and exterior of the building and prepared measured plan and elevation drawings of the building. The Preservation Plan prepared by E2PM described the existing structure and its site, the developmental background and historic context of the school, and analyzed the existing conditions and proposed a treatment and use plan for the building. The building and site were documented in narrative description, photographs and measured drawings.

Following the acceptance of the Preservation Plan, roof reconstruction documents were prepared to assist the Borough of Mountain Lakes to create a historically accurate reconstruction of the roof. The reconstructed roof was proposed as a cedar shingle roof. The roof project was designed to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

The preparation of the Preservation Plan and the roof reconstruction documents were both funded by a grant from the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund, and E2PM was instrumental in obtaining the grant. In addition, E2PM worked closely with the Borough of Mountain Lakes to successfully obtain a second grant from the Morris County Historic Preservation Fund in the amount of $261,000 for the roof construction. This grant was the second highest in Morris County.