50th Timeline: 2000 – Problems with Cope

One great challenge that the School faced as it worked toward the construction of a new academic building was the physical state of Cope Building, originally constructed in 1908.  A report by Westfield Architects & Preservation Consultants in 1999 had found that Cope required significant preservation and restoration.  “The failure of the window lintels and the deterioration of the masonry represent structural problems which must be corrected,” concluded the report.  The estimated costs for the restoration, the architects concluded, would be “significant.”  All agreed that Cope should be restored, but the challenge of raising funds for the restoration and funds for a new building at the same time proved very challenging indeed.  The Board reluctantly decided to focus on the new academic building and to put off restoring Cope while the School pursued funds from the New Jersey Historic Trust and other potential sources of support for the historically significant structure.  The problems with restoring an historic structure would pale, however, compared to new problems on the national and world stage that emerged the following year.