Morven Museum & Garden Reopens July 9

PRINCETON, N.J. - July 3, 2020 - PRLog -- "It has been a really remarkable Spring," Executive Director Jill Barry noted recently. "We thank all of our supporters for the successes of our plant sales, outdoor tours, and recent 4th of July Jubilee in a Bag.  People were tremendously understanding when we cancelled Morven in May and continued their support, enabling us to get to where we are today.  We are delighted to announce that, after weeks of preparation, we are prepared to safely reopen our doors on Thursday, July 9 and welcome our friends back to Morven Museum & Garden."

In addition, Morven's highly popular exhibition, Dreaming of Utopia: Roosevelt, New Jersey has been extended to January 24, 2021.  "Our venerable front porch wisteria has even graced us with a second blooming, just in time for our reopening," Barry added.

Noting that safety is of utmost importance, Morven is following all CDC and local health official guidelines including:

• Masking staff and have installed safety shields at the Gift Shop and Welcome Desk
• Requiring 6 feet of social distance between staff and visitors.
• Cleaning all high touch areas before opening to the public
• Closing for a half hour at 12:30 p.m. daily to repeat the cleaning
• Installing hand sanitizer stations in the Gift Shop, museum entrance, outside the bathrooms, and on the second floor landing before gallery entrance.

Barry went on to note that during the month of July, Morven will welcome its members, known as Friends of Morven, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily, closing from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. for cleaning.  From 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Morven will be open to members and the general public.

"Our protocols for visitors are meant to ensure the safety of everyone, while inside our galleries and outside in our gardens," Barry added.

VISITOR PROTOCOLS

To visit Morven, visitors are required to:

• Stay at home if you are sick, experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or have had known exposure to the virus.  
• Wear face masks at all times indoors and during outdoor tours. If you are within proximity of others anywhere on the property, you are required to wear your mask.  Morven does not provide masks.
• Adhere to social distancing guidelines and stay at least six feet away from other visitors, staff, and volunteers.
• We ask that one visitor party at a time enter the Gift Shop and the West Wing Gallery. You may wait in the Starkey Courtyard or on the Back Porch for the few minutes it may take to clear the space for your turn.
• In the galleries, please be mindful of others and allow plenty of space.
• To ensure your continued safety while at Morven, follow all instructions from our Visitor Services staff and other staff members during your visit.
• Visitors not following the stated requirements will be asked to leave.

Barry noted that Morven will be monitoring the guest load in the museum and will limit attendance based on safe movement of all guests. "If we are at or near capacity, you will be informed before you purchase your ticket," she added.

Visitors interested in a private museum tour, including up to 12 guests, without other visitors in the museum, may reserve a day and time in advance for $200 an hour.  For complete details, contact Debra Lampert-Rudman, Curator of Education & Public Programs at dlampertrudman@morven.org or 609-924-8144 x 106.

Morven Museum & Garden is located at 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ.  Full details about Morven's history may be found at www.morven.org

ABOUT MORVEN MUSEUM & GARDEN

For more than 200 years Morven has played a role in the history of New Jersey and the nation. Originally part of a 5,500-acre tract purchased from William Penn in 1701 by the Stockton family, it is the home of Richard Stockton, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and is the only home of a New Jersey signer which is highly interpreted and open regularly to the public. As well as serving as a Stockton homestead for several generations into the 20th century, and home to three generations of enslaved families, Morven was home to the families and household staff of Robert Wood Johnson Jr., and was the first New Jersey Governors' Mansion and home to five New Jersey governors and their families and staffs.