Politics & Government
Englewood to Pay $22K to Preserve Land Once Owned by 'Father of Teaneck'
Work on Mackay Park Gatehouse expected to begin soon, report says.
Englewood has awarded a contract to create a plan to preserve the last remaining structure of a mansion once owned by a former Teaneck congressman in the city’s Mackay Park, the Northern Valley Suburbanite reported Thursday.
The city will pay about $22,000 to match a grant for the $44,000 contract, the report said. About $100,000 in repairs have already been completed on the Mackay Park Gatehouse, which also houses Englewood’s recreation department.
Work is expected to begin shortly and include a structural assessment, review of heating, electric and other infrastructure, the report said.
William Walter Phelps, once a congressman and ambassador, owned the structure in the 1880s as part of a sprawling estate that stretched across the area, according to the township’s public library.
“William Walter Phelps is rightly called the father of Teaneck. Although he died before the twentieth century was born, his activities laid the foundation for what is now known as a model community,” the library’s website says.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.