Tenth Annual JCLC Preservation Awards Ceremony
Thursday May 27 — 6 PM to 9 PM
At the Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre, Journal Square (across from PATH). The ceremony starts at 7:00 p.m. sharp! Cost per ticket: $25 at the lobby door.
Hosted by the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy. Made possible with generous support from our sponsors, Lord Abbett and Metrovest Equities.
On Thursday, May 27, 2010, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy will proudly present its tenth annual Preservation Awards Ceremony in honor of those who have significantly contributed to the preservation of Jersey City's architectural and cultural heritage. Categories include the Excellence in Preservation Award, the Theodore Conrad Preservationist Award, the J. Owen Grundy History Award, the Preservation Initiative Award, and the Jersey City Legend Award. A tour of the historic Loew’s Jersey Theatre will follow the ceremony. Refreshments will be served.
Preservation Month 2010 and Tenth Annual Preservation Awards Ceremony Sponsors
JCLC thanks Lord Abbett and Metrovest for their current and past sponsorship of Preservation Month in Jersey City and the Tenth annual Preservation Awards Ceremony.
Lord Abbett & Company, LLC |
Metrovest Equities |
Tenth Annual Preservation Awards Ceremony Sponsors
JCLC thanks Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, Liberty Realty and the NJR Group for their sponsorship or the Tenth Annual Preservation Awards Ceremony..
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Mack-Cali Realty Corporation |
Liberty Realty |
NJR Group |
Tenth Annual Preservation Awards Ceremony Contributors
Please patronize these businesses.
They give back to Jersey city!
Landmark Lowe's Jersey Theatre and Friends of the Loews |
Liberty House Restaurant |
Komegashi's Japanese Restaurant |
Monteleone's Newark Avenue Pastry Shop |
| 3 Guys From italy 2854 Kennedy Boulevard Jersey City, NJ 07306 (201) 792-9265 |
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Researching Home Histories
Monday May 24 — 6:30 PM
FREE. Meet in the New Jersey Room on the 3rd floor of the Jersey City Free Public Library, Jersey Avenue and Montgomery Street.
Administered by Cynthia Harris, Director of the New Jersey Room
Have you ever wanted to research the history of your home? When was it built? Who used to live there? Or have you ever wanted to learn more about other landmark properties in your neighborhood? This workshop will give you the tools to do so by teaching you the basics of research in the New Jersey Room of the Jersey City Free Public Library, a treasure trove of Jersey City history. This is a FREE event; however, registration is required as space is limited. Co-sponsored by the Jersey City Free Public Library and the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.
Walking Tour of the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery
Sunday May 23 — 11 AM
Please wear comfortable walking shoes - no sandals please!
Free Admission - Donations are welcomed
The Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery is a National Treasure. Prior to the creation of the Cemetery in 1829, it's historical significance dates back to the 1700's as the site of a Revolutionary War encampment, and a fortification bunker from the War of 1812 that still stands proudly on the grounds. Now the sacred eternal resting place of thousands of soldiers from the Revolutionary & Civil Wars, the War of 1812, the Spanish-American War, WWI and II, forward, as well as home to our earliest Jersey City founders, leaders, residents and legends. With its 200 year old English Ivy adorning many of the towering trees, and the monumental works of art, this 6-acre sanctuary of peace and unique history is one of the most beautiful natural settings in Jersey City.
Sadly neglected and abandoned in early 2008, the Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery is now being saved and preserved by the dedicated efforts of a newly formed volunteer Board of Trustees, a hard-working group of volunteers, and a supportive Community who are committed to the restoration of the historic cemetery grounds, caretaker house, and historic monuments.
9th Annual Lafayette History Festival and Tour
Saturday May 22 — 11:45 AM to 2 PM
Co-sponsored by Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, The City of Jersey city and the Jersey city Municipal Council, Communipaw Avenue Block Association, Monumental Baptist Church, Afro-American Historical Society Museum, St. John's A.M.E. Church, Assumption All Saints Church, Fountain of Salvation Church, Cornerstone Church of Christ.
Guided by Neil E. Brunson, Director of the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Society Museum, Deputy Mayor Kabili Tayari and JCLC.
Discover New Jersey's rich Dutch heritage through iconic landmarks like the former Lafayette Dutch Reformed Church and the "House of the Four Chimneys" mural inside the Art Deco-designed Provident Bank; explore the distinct vernacular architectural landscape of Lafayette, a largely intact mid-19th century industrial neighborhood where the names of African-American legends like Dr. George E. Cannon and Dr. Lena Edwards come to life.
Meet at Reverend Dr. Ercel F. Webb Park, intersection of Van Horne and Lafayette Streets.
Opening ceremony and remarks: 11:45 AM
Guided bus tour: 12 Noon - 1 PM
Guided walking tour: 12:Noon - 2 PM.
Closing ceremony: from 2:00 PM
All events are free.
Preservation Month 2010 Italian Village Heritage Tour
Sunday May 16 — 12 Noon to 2 PM .
Jersey City's Italian Village (or "Little Italy," as century-old Evening Journal papers refer to it) is often overlooked in favor of Downtown's historic brownstone districts, but not anymore, as fledgling artist enclaves in the Village can attest to. Learn how the once-prominent (and still present) Italian population established this community in the late-19th century, transforming it into a cultural and political force; meet both long-time and newly established merchants who are helping to drive the Village's resurgence.
Co-sponsored by The Village Neighborhood Association and lead by Joshua Parkhurst. Take the tour and receive a coupon from Madame Claude Cafe for a FREE Crepe!
Meet 12 Noon at Madame Claude Cafe on the corner of Brunswick and Fourth Streets. Tour finishes around 2 PM.
Bergen Square Tour
Saturday May 15 —12 Noon to 2 PM
Wander through New Jersey's first permanent European settlement, dating back 350 years. Meet JCLC President John Hallanan at the Journal Square PATH station, by the Jackie Robinson statue..
Preservation Month 2010 Tour of the Brennan Hudson County Courthouse
Saturday, May 8, 2010 — 11 AM
The Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy and Hudson County Department of Cultural Affairs and Tourism are proud to present a free Preservation Month 2010 tour of the Brennan Hudson County Courthouse on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 11:00 AM.
History of the Courthouse
The Hudson County Courthouse opened in 1910, a remarkable six-story beaux-arts building built for an equally remarkable $3.3 million. Designed by Jersey City resident Hugh Roberts, the building served as Hudson County's Judicial Seat.
The Courthouse was also the subject of one of Jersey City's most prominent preservation battles. Set to be razed in the 1970s in favor of the neighboring "new" courthouse building, citizen advocates succesfully lobbied for the building's restoration and preservation. An award winning restoration allowed the courthouse to be reopened in 1985. In 1989, the building was renamed in honor of William J. Brennan, a one time Superior Court Judge in Hudson County and the Court's Assignment Judge from 1949 to 1951 who went on to serve as a United States Supreme Court Justice for 34 years.
Today, the courthouse is used to hear Civil and Superior Court cases, and also serves as the office for several Hudson County officials and departments. The County also hosts monthly performances by local musicians as part of its monthly Coffee House series.
Above: Mid-twentieth century postcard of the Hudson County Courthouse. Courtesy of William LaRosa and New Jersey City University.
Free Tour Saturday the 8th!
Come join Bill LaRosa, Director of the Hudson County Department of Cultural Affairs and Tourism, for a FREE tour of the courthouse! The tour takes place on Saturday, May 8th, 2010 at 11:00 AM. Meet at the front entrance to the courthouse at 583 Newark Avenue. Free parking is available in the courthouse's parking lot adjacent to the building.
The Courthouse is a "barrier free" building and accessible to the disabled.
Above: 2002 Photo of the Brennan Hudson County Courthouse. Courtesy of Patrick Shalhoub and New Jersey City University.
Preservation Month 2010 Kicks Off with Restoration Tour of "The Beacon," the Former Jersey City Medical Center
Saturday, May 1 — 11 AM to 12:30 PM
Cost: $10.00, $7.00 for seniors and students with current ID. Meet at the new lobby of The Beacon. Turn into the main entrance at Beacon Way. Valet parking is $5.00. Metered parking is available on Montgomery Street. Rain or shine!
In celebration of Historic Preservation Month, Metrovest Equities and the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy invite the public to tour the magnificent restoration of the Art Deco former Jersey City Medical Center. The tour will include the first public viewing of the model “Live Large” loft in the new Mercury building, as photographed in Architectural Digest magazine. Led by The Beacon's own restoration consultant, Ulana Zakalak, president of Zakalak Restoration Arts, highlights will include the magnificent new lobby, the restored Broadway corridor, the Rialto Theater, and the former lobby, now the billiards room, complete with the newly conserved Allen George Newman bas-relief, From Myth to Medicine. Come see Mayor Frank Hague's office, now converted into the Hague Poker Room, as well as restored lobbies and the Roosevelt reading room. Visit the unparalleled amenities floor which includes Club Aqua and the Grotto Lounge.
For more information contact JCLC board member Ulana Zakalak at uzakalak@comcast.net
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
NEW PRESIDENT TAKES HELM AT JCLANDMARKS!
John J. Hallanan III
The Board of Directors has unanimously elected life-long Jersey City resident John Hallanan as president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.
Hallanan is a graduate of Saint Peter's Prep and a 2003 graduate of Saint Peter's College where he studied History and Political Science. After college, he joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. (JVC) and spent a year working as a volunteer organizer at a food bank outside Oakland, California.
After his term in the JVC, Hallanan enrolled in the Cities Programme at the London School of Economics (LSE) where he earned a Master's degree in City Design & Social Science. After graduating LSE, Hallanan returned to the United States and worked in public relations.
He joined the JCLC Board of Directors in 2006 and was elected vice-president in 2008. In addition to his work with JC Landmarks, Hallanan serves as vice-chairman of the Jersey City Historic Preservation Commission and is a law student at Rutgers School of Law-Newark.
"This year marks the tenth anniversary of the JCLC's incorporation, and I realize that there is much to be done and I have some very big shoes to fill. However, I look forward to working with community leaders, developers and public officials to ensure that the best aspects of this City's past are preserved for future generations."
Hallanan's goals include launching a capital campaign to raise money for historic preservation grants and educational outreach.
"It is truly an honor to serve Jersey City as its chief citizen-spokesman for historic preservation," says Hallanan. "And I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead."
CHANGING JERSEY CITY: A HISTORY IN PHOTOGRAPHS
New Pictorial Book by Historian Cynthia Harris and Architectural Photographer Leon Yost - Book Talks & Signings To Be Held
Changing Jersey City: A History in Photographs. Schiffer Books. Paperback, 144 pages + 350 color images. Authored by Cynthia Harris and Leon Yost with a foreword by JC Landmarks founder John Gomez.
From the editors:
"Lusciously illustrated with more than 350 color images, Changing Jersey City: A History in Photographs presents New Jersey’s oldest city with all her hidden quirks and secrets. Urban legends are uncovered and unique views revealed in this irresistibly compelling portrait. Sequential photographs document the ever-changing skyline while personal vignettes portray the lives of pivotal people - from pioneers to politicians - who walked its storied streets. Carefully researched, urban legends become fact - or fiction - through exhaustive reading of dusty files in the expansive New Jersey Room of the Jersey City Free Public Library. Previously unpublished vintage photographs printed from original 4x5-inch negatives juxtapose with modern views of the same locations to convincingly document this vibrant city’s neighborhoods reaching from Downtown to Greenville to Journal Square to the Heights. Written by the New Jersey Room’s manager, Cynthia Harris, and documentary photographer, Leon Yost, with a foreword by JC Landmarks founder, John Gomez, the book is both authoritative and entertaining, filled with hard-to-find facts, compelling photographs, and intriguing Jersey City stories."
Order with authors Leon Yost at (201) 320-1556, ermaleon@gmail.com and Cynthia Harris at (732) 221-8406, cravioloti@aol.com; or order directly from Schiffer Books >. Also available online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Read The Jersey Journal Article >
Read the Q&A with Authors Cynthia Harris and Leon Yost >
Read the Jersey City Independent Article >
Above photos by David Jolkovski for The Jersey Journal
AVAILABLE NOW! STAINED GLASS MASTERWORKS 2010 CALENDAR
Only $12.99 + $2.00 Shipping - Special Senior Citizen & Student Discounting - Bulk Order Rates Available
Photography: Leon Yost
Historical Images: The Yost Collection
Historical Text: John Gomez, M.S. Historic Preservation, Columbia University, Founder & President, JC Landmarks; Dennis Doran, Historian; Ulana Zakalak, President, Zakalak Restoration Arts
Editors: Leon Yost & John Gomez
Design: Jeff Spangler, admin@jeffspangler.net
Publisher's Price: $12.99
January: The Muted Angels of Grace Church Van Vorst
February: The Lost Tiffanys of Saint John’s Episcopal Church
March: Saint Patrick’s Sermons in Light
April: The Art Nouveau Windows of Saint Joseph’s Church
May: The Richly Decorated Saint Michael’s Church
June: The Rare Von Gerichten Windows at All Saints’ Church
July: The Virtuoso Windows of Saint Anne’s Church
August: Wright Goodhue, the Shakespeare of American Stained Glass
September: The Glamorous Peacocks of Saint Aedan’s Church
October: The Concertinaed Chancel Window of Bethany Lutheran Church
November: The Stained Glass Abstractions of Simon Berasaluce
December: The Persian Palette of Saint Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church
On the Cover: The stained glass dome inside City Hall’s Anna R. Cucci Memorial Council Chambers was installed in 1917, one year after the chandelier-centered ceiling had been destroyed by the infamous Black Tom munitions explosion in what is now the southern quadrant of Liberty State Park. “The old chandelier, hanging like the sword of Damocles, always a source of fear lest at any time it might fall,” wrote The Jersey Journal, “has been eliminated and a metal dome constructed, surmounted
with a beautiful stained glass skylight.” - John Gomez
DESIGN FIRM CHOSEN FOR FIRST STREET PARK IN JERSEY CITY
Transformation of 1974 "Legacy of Parks" Site in Old Italian Village Set To Begin; Phase One Construction Under Way; JC Landmarks Plays Pivotal Role
Above: The winning vision for the transformation of the long-abandoned, locked and neglected First Street Park in the old Italian Village section of Jersey City, New Jersey by Future Green Studio.
The Village Neighborhood Association (VNA), in collaboration with Gotham West Development, JC Landmarks, Jersey City Parks Coalition, the City of Jersey City, and Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop, is proud to announce the designation of Future Green Studio of Brooklyn as landscape architects of First Street Park in the Italian Village section of Jersey City.
Above: Entry view of the winning concept rendering for First Street Park, which will be renamed "The Village Park" in order to reflect and serve the entire Italian Village neighborhood.
David Seiter is founding Principal of Future Green Studio – a design-build firm in Brooklyn, New York specializing in landscape architecture and green roof design. His portfolio includes international, high-profile, large-scale urban parks and waterfronts, high-end residential garden and estate planning for celebrity clients, and green roof design and implementation. He also owns and operates New York City’s first green roof plant nursery – Gotham Green Roof Nursery – in Gowanus, Brooklyn. In addition to designing and building, David also teaches “An Introduction to Green Roofs and Living Walls” at CUNY Citytech and will be teaching at Pratt Institute of Design in the fall. He authors a widely-read green roof blog on the popular Brooklyn website, Brownstoner. David is in the process of designing an interpretive solar panel/art walls project for Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.
For nearly four years the VNA and historic Village community have worked toward transforming the long-closed, abandoned and neglected pocket park into a reinvented open space that will be unlike any Jersey City has ever seen. A competitive and exciting pro-bono design competition was recently conducted via a Request for Proposal and called for feedback and suggestions from Village residents. At the October VNA meeting, over 60 attendees viewed four amazing visions for First Street Park and overwhelmingly selected Future Green Studio for an imaginative modern design that uses recycled and sustainable materials; provides playful passive sections for children; features restive, meditative elements like a central lawn, gravel walking paths and reflecting pool; and pays respect and homage to the neighborhood’s Italian-American heritage.
Future Green Studio has formed a unique creative partnership with Gotham West Development, the developers of a residential lot that flanks the park. Gotham West Development has raised the developer-community relationship bar by jumpstarting the first phase of the project with a generous donation of $50,000. The City of Jersey City has committed to assist with initial construction, and future, phase costs; contributions from preservation-minded developers, corporations, institutions and citizens are anticipated and will bring the circa-1974 park back to life for the Village and entire City’s use and enjoyment.
Above: First Street Park, Summer 2009. This photo shows the original circa-1974 rainbow climbing arc, metal and concrete benches, light poles, green rubberized asphalt carpet, and bocce ball court walls.
As the design phase continues, keep up-to-date with the latest design revisions and park news by entering your email address under the eNews and Updates section. With the expected completion of the adjacent building to the park slated for Spring 2011, the First Street Park redevelopment project is expected to be completed by Fall 2011. To participate in the rebirth of First Street Park, please contact the Village Neighborhood Association.
Above: First Street Park, October 2009, Phase One Construction. Some original circa-1974 park furniture has been removed for reuse in a nearby historic cemetery memorial park; remaining items will be sustainably reused in Future Green Studio's new design.
JERSEY CITY POWERHOUSE TO UNDERGO FIRST PHASE OF LONG-AWAITED RESTORATION
City of Jersey City and Port Authority of NY & NJ Hold Press Conference on Thursday, June 11, 2009 to Announce Stabilization and Remediation of the National Register Site - JC Landmarks in Attendance
HISTORIC PRESERVATION CAMPAIGN TAKES NEW TURN
JC Landmarks Calls On Public to Get Involved in Fight To Preserve Neglected Historic Church
The time has come to rally and save St. John's Episcopal Church, one of Hudson County's great architectural monuments...
HEROES OF PRESERVATION FETED AT 2009 AWARDS CEREMONY
Learn More About the 2009 Awardees >
REVIEW OUR SCHEDULE OF PRESERVATION MONTH 2009 EVENTS >
