Plainfield's Crescent Area HD Nomination

7/29/2019 Plainfield's Crescent Area HD Nomination

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h'1STORIC PLACES

INVENTORY -- NO!\.IINATION FORM I: : : I : : : E R ~ Q --'-- ___1iNSTRUCTIONS !N HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS

TYPE ALL ENTri.'::),- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS

HISTOrllC

Cr es c an t Ar ca His to r i c D i s ~ ~ ~ L r ~ i ~ c ~ t ~ _COI"'....

II

C r e s c e ~ t Averrue, 1s t , 2n d and J rd P lace , Park Avenue between Crescenti'}]LOCATIONand ~ ~ i n t h St ree t . Ninth St ree t between Park Ave. and Hatchung Ave , ;

ST.iEET'" NLJMi3ER \{atchui1.g AV2 . b e tw een 7 th and 9th , 7th S t . b e tw e en Hatchung an d 9thand Fr ankl.Ln Place_ _NOTFOR P U B L l C A . : . : T ~ J O : : . : N . . : . . - _

cvrv. TOV.'N __ -'==-'- CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Pla inf ie ld VICINITY OF 12thSTATE CODE COUN TY coot:

034 Union Qi9

C-"TEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PFl=SENT USE

2:;.OISTi11CT _PUBLIC ~ O C C U P I E D _AGRICULTURE

_ 8 I J j ~ D I N S . · 3 i X PRIVA-:-C: ,_UNOCCUPIED ~ _ C O ; ' v ' M ERCiAL _PARK

__ 80Th _WORK IN PROGRESS _EDUCATIONAL ~ P R ' \ i A T E RESIDENCE

PU8L:C ,,,-CQU:SrrlDN ACCESSIBLE _ENTERTAINMENT X RELIGIOUS;r

__ S , " , ' ~ C T __ :N PRCC,-S'3 _YES: RESTRICTED _GOVERNMENT _SCIENTiFIC

__ ~ I N G V>'<S,O='1,,0 ~ Y E S : UNRESTRICTED _INDUSTRIAL -_TRANSPORTATION

_,NO _MILITARY _OTHER:

N!\r--,1 E

l t i 2 . ~ ~ . ~ - - - ' - - - - , _S ' : " : ~ E ~ T &. ~ i ~ : ~ " , ~ S = R

STAT:

, - - - - - - - - - - - - , -

COUR-ir.CLSi::.

PEGISTPY OC: S ~ ~ 8 S . E T C .

El izabeth

~ ' , J ] REPRESENTATION IN EX1STING SURVEYS

T ~ T L [ U n ~ L O l 1 County His to r i c Landmarks Lnv en to r v - Fe b .

.. . . _ ~ : l ~ _ . ~ ~ 1 f i : : J . E ~ __I!j t ~ _ , ~ t ~ .._:rQue _-: _ - U l ] l ~ _ . . ._..

.l97!f

.

SfAH

r ~ e w J.Elli":L

(PLainfiEcld)

._. ,._.__.. _

_

__FEDEnA\. _STATE XCOUNTY _LOU ' l

s y - ; ; ; ; - ~ - - -- --- II i '-;3;; '" t - ~ - - t 1 J P : l , - ; - l ~ ; - j ~ i . ~ i - ' r ) ~ ? t, ------- - - - - - - ---- - - _ . - - - --------,--.-- '- - -..

.. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ' ~ . Ci£! ~ ~ ~ _ l _ ~ __ ~ _ ~ C l _ ~ ~ f _ ~ ~ . 1 d . i . . . . E . J _(l ' l Glnnj,I1,z_DeILL..;...) _CIFl. TOV'JI"J STATF

New Jer.c;e'-,.•..,,_.- - - ..- - . _ - . , " . ~ . _ - , ..- .. - - ' - - ~ - - - - - - - - - ' - - .- ---<_.--_. .. -_. -'--""--'--"'--- - --- .- . - - - - . - . - ~ - - - - - , ~ - ._..__.. ---.----- . - - . ~ ----_...-- . ---.',------ _.,_._- ' J-- ------.--.----.-.. - - . - ~



CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE

__ EXCELLENT _DETERIORATED _uNALTERED ~ R I G I N A L SITE

XGOOD _ RUINS ~ A L T E R E D _MOVED D:'TE _

._UNEXPOSED

DESCRiBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The g e n e r a l c o n d i t i o n s and b r i e f d e s c r i p t i o n s w i t h p h o t o s o f t h ~ b u i l ding s wi th i n the Cre s ce rr t Area Hi s t o r ic Di s t r i c t a re a t t ach ed .

T h e r e a re some more d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n s o f s e v e r a l o f th e mores i g n i f i c a n t b u i l d i n g s and pho tos o f s i g n i f i c a n t d e t a i l s , as we l l as

some s t r e e t s c a p e s showing th e cohes ive co n d i t i o n and a e s t h e t i c s e t t i ~ g o f th e proposed district.

-'l'he C r e s c e n t Area Histor - ic D i s t r i c t i s a c ohe s ive r e s i d e n t i a l a rea

d a ti nq from th e 1870' s . Over s e ve n ty pe r c e n t o f th e dwe l l i ngs wereb u i l t wi t h i n t he d a t e s of 1 8 8 0 - 1 ~ 0 0 . There i s a l e s s than t en p e rcen t r a t e o f i n t r u s i o n s . There a re a l s o

nine va c a n t l o t s (not ca l cu l a t ed in the t o t a l s ) .

T he p r e s e n t h o u s in g i s s i n g l e f a m i l y r e s i d e n t i a l and m u l t i - f a m i l y

r e s Ld e nt; i 31. Severa l 0 f th e apar tments a r e modern bu i Ld i nq s , bu t ah igh number o f th e h i s t o r i c a l s t r u c t u r e s ( o r i g i n a l l y s i n g l e f am i Ly )have been conver ted in to tw o and t h ree u n i t a pa r t m e n t s .

?ne f o l _ l o ~ N i n 0 c h a r t pr ov Ld e s a s t r e e t by s t r e e t p e r i o d breakdown o f

th9 b u i l ~ i n g s w i th in th e dis t r ic i : : .

:,

1860-75 1880:"'85 1890-1900 1910-1925 Modern

-e, ,~ ) e c o n C 1 Pi . 2 j 4 7 '7"",

l' 1 rs Co Pl ( 8 ) 3 2·(

(.

E . 7t h St J ) 2 3( i 1 \ ire PI , J 7 2·

, ;1 t c h :,:ng i ; 5 ) 6 5 2...,

C' r eac e n t, \q.- .: 11 3 3

F-r-al1X:l 1:1,

"f :) ) 4 7 3Pa.rk A ~ / e " ,-

v S J\ 3 2·

9 :- h , -). ") ) . - , j 7 11 5 3

r r O T ~ ~ ! . . J S 12 2 13 47 39 12 11

Many f i n e e xa m ple s o f C a r p e n t e r G o t h i c , Italianate, Second Empi re

(na .nsard) , Queen Anne, and S h ing l e s ty l e a r c h i t e c t u r e su rv iv e wi t h i n

t hc district. Other s t y l e s r e coqri i z e d i nc lude the Colon ia l Reviva l , E a s t l a k e , E n g l i s h T udor , and M i s s io n , a l t h o u g h t h e s e a re uncommon

e.xa:·:pJes in th e d i s t r i c t .



'

UNITED STr"TES D E P A R n ~ E N T OF THE INTERIOR

HER I T2,GE: CCi'bERVATI .L..;<D RECf<E/l,TI ON SERV ICE

REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

INVENTOR Y -- N O ~ l I N A TI ON FORMCrescen t Area Ei s t o r i c D i s t r i c t

? l a i ~ f i e l d _ [ a l an County

~ e w Je r sey

CONTI NUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER

·FOR;HCRS·· ··USE

R E 2 ~ I V E . b ( :::::..:.:: :.:.. :.:.: : : : . \ : : . ':::::..~ - > - : : : . : : / . : : : : : - . : . : : : .. -- - .:

DAfEENTERED.

PAGE 1

7. DESCRIPTION ( con t inued)

The boundar ies Here chosen because o f e i t h e r a d i v i s i o n o f usage of

th e s t r u c t u r e s (commerc ia l v ~ r s u s r e s i d e n t i a l a lo n g E a s t Sev en th

S t r e e t ) o r enough modern c o n s t r u c t i o n o u t s i d e o f th e district to

s e r i o u s l y a l t e r the ch a rac t e r of th e h i s t o r i c a l sur roundings (Prospec t

Avenue, Park A v e ~ u e f Carnegie Avenue, and Richmond S t r e e t ) .

A t t a c j e d i s a sG=vey ~ c : ~ p r e p a r e d f o r e v e r y p r o p e r t y w i t h i n th e

d i s t r i c t .

:,



--

-----------

See Continuation Sheet

7ACREAG" or ',G\1!NA1ED P ~ O P E R T Y

Plainf ield QU ADRANGLE SCALE 1:?'1,000

A l J ~ ~ J F 1 ; ! ' t ~ 1 2 . , ~ I ' / I 9 ,. l 6 a OJ

ZONE EASTiNCi NORTHiNG ZONe· EASTING NORTHING

C ~ IS! 4 i 9) 7 :7 1I) ! !4 f 41 9 , 5 I9 ! 8 !. o ~ J l ~ l ~ . J i - 1 7 ! 7 10 I ~ 1 9 ! 5 ! 8 1 0 1 0 1 C,'-+ t , 0 ; ! ! B ~ ~ ~ 1 3 6,01

E ~ [Si4 J9!s.2\oi 14 ; 4 ! 9 ; 5 17 , 9 , o l F l 2 B . l . ~ J 3 t 8 L2J ~ I ! ILLJ 1-Ll..LU LU I I

1s t , 2nd and 3rd Place, P2rk AveD.ueb e twe en Crescent and i7in::ll S::reet:. Ninth Street between Park Avenue ar.d \'atc.huD.g;

Watchung Avenue between Seventh and Ninth, Seventh Stree t between \ ~ t c t ~ n g and Ninth

_~ 2 . : 1 d F':'-;:;-:-l1:: pI c ~ - - - - - - - , - - - c-:-----,--:----,--,--:--------,-----:--:-=c-:-:c-:--,------,------,---

LIST ALL_ Sf:" TES AN D CQUN: IES ,O.:;OPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

COUNTY CODE

Crescent Avenue,

57,:' TE CO;]:: COUNTY CODE

'4 [)XLVi D D '[;'P \. 'D 't; 'D ...... V ~ . ' l .1 · ..... J.. ...... ..;......: ./ ••_ A ~ . L t · n;"

NA!Y!E/T1TLE Charles H. Det:-lil.ier, J r . , A.LA. , Architect

! !ar i lyn Rupp , t ~ : - : : ; - : : ' : : 2 C : : : ' . l , : : : : J Histor ian ----- -------- -=cc= DAT:-:c

E-------

Cner Les H .. D2G'i i l ler , October 2 , 1979TELEPHONE

120 De?ot "ParkCITY os TOW N

New l ~ r s E : V :HISTCRIC PRESERVA'_rION OFFICER CERTIFICATION

'"He 0VALiJAT;:O Si,,;;'!.FIC.o,:,CE 0; : THIS PROPERTY WITHIN HI::: STATE IS:

ST,iHE _ LOCAL

the deslg;l,ned St3te h!stcric P,es"'Na,'on O:'f,cer fur the N ~ n a l Historic ~ r e s e r v ~ t i o n Act of 1956 (Public La w 89-665), I

nominate ::-:" Drooerty for !nCIUSIO'1 in tn s ~ ~ a t l o n a l Register and certify t t it has been evaluated accordinq to the

. . - hb '-- N IP' - ! I i .

1 Vuter ra and procedures set torn v trie , erx : : , e ~ l c ~ , . ij Iiatron a ,

De'C' . l ! : ' l ' 1,< 7SHITi' HISiORIC PRi:SERVATION OFFICER SIGNATU9E # r:F,vVtl-'i.P.- f? T ' - / r . t ~ J c t J

1\ i .... I!e--, -U - C-" I I : \ , f r" V

_TIT=r: \ ~ ~ ~ J \ ~ - ~ : . . ~ L i ~ \ ~ ) DATE YJ'" \1 f ' \

~ ' l : : ~ ~ j t : s : { ~ ~ ' ~ ~ ~ I F Y T H A ~ THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL H E G I S T E ~ - - - - - - - - : . , - - ~ ' : ' . ~ : : : - .-·----lDATE ..

KEEPEROF THE HATJONAL REGISTER DATE

E-;=OF-:=ZE"UST'RATION - ' - - - - - . - - - - - .-- . ------ . -- , --- . ------- --,----,,--,--.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . - - .------.--,------ - - - - -

-_J



/l.REAS OF SiGNIFICANCE - CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW

_-ARCHEOLUGY-PREHISTORIC _COMMUNITY PLANNING _LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE _RELIGION

_.AHCdECLOGY-HISTORIC _CONSERVATION _LAW _SCIENCE

59 9 --AGRICULTURE _ECONOMICS _LITERATURE _SCULPTU' lE

b9 9 ~ R C H I T E C T U R E _EDUCATION _MILITARY _ S O C t A L ' H U M ~ N I T ARIAN

--.ART _ENGINEERiNG _MUSIC _THEATER

_COMMeRCE _EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _Ph i LOSOPhY _TRANSPOiHAT:ON

_ C O ~ . , , 1 M u N t C A T J O N S _INDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _OTHER 'SPECIFY)

BUILDER/ARCH ITECT

OF SIGNIFICANCE

At th e i n t e r s ec t i o n o f Watchung.s,

Avenue, 7th S t re e t and Crescen t Avenue

i s a unique c o l l e c t i o n o f 19th cen tu r y b u i l d i n g s . T h i s a r e a wasdeveloped as a specu la t ive r e a I e s t a t e ven ture in th e 1870 I s by Job

Hale , who b u i l t some 30 o r more of the 100+ b u i l d i n g s now s tandingwith in the boundaries o f t h i s proposed h i s to r i c d i s t r i c t . What i s 20Sts i g n i f i c a n t about t h i s group o f bu i ld ings i s th e v i r t u a l l y undi s tu rbed

r e l a t i ~ n s h i p o f these houses to one another and l ack o f i n t ru s i o n o f

Lat.er cons t ruc t ion . Although some bui ld ings have been a l t e r e d , th e

g en e ra l ambiance o f an upper middle c l a s s mid-19th century r e s i d e n t i a l

a rea i s preserved with many o f th e l a rg e r homes adapted to apar tments

c::nc ::11..l.lti-family homes . The a r c h i t e c t u r a l s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e s ebui ld ings i s most Impr e s s r v e with a co l l e c t i o n o f heavy I t a l i a n a t e and

Mansard masonry homes. Designed fo r weal thy bus tnessmen a long Cres cen t

Avenue, they have broad piazzas and spacious g r o ~ n d s . The s t r e e t still

r e t a i n s an impres s ive e l e g a n c e and th e b e a u t i f u l t r e e s and s h r u b s

c ornp l eme n t; the o ld homes , :,ynieh co l l ec t ive ly are a v i r t u a l a r c h i t e c

t u r a l mu s e u.n , Fai ln inq cu t; from C re s c e n t Avenue a re t h r e e s h o r ts r r e e t s r I s t; , Zrid a;-;.:'; 3rd ? l a c e . The houses a long t h e se streets,

a l enough not qu it e 3 8 Ie ':;2, a lso r e f l e c t the same s ty l e of a r. en i t e c

tu re and are wel l Dair'.c..:':'::.ed. Ninth ·S t ree t and Frank l in P lace , which

br ing up the S00th-Easte :Ly boundary o f th e d i s t r i c t , a lso co n ta in f i n e

e x amp l e s o f Vi c to r ian = " : : / . ~ 2 S , wi th a range from s t rong Fed e ra l ove r

tones to f r arne r a rmriou se and ea r ly mul t i - fami ly des igns . The t r u es ig n i f i c an ce an d G a ~ c = a d i s t r i c t i s th e t o t a l e f f e c t o f a l l t he se

bu i ld ings ~ 3 ~ n e r = n a ~ o n e ' s outs tand ing q u a l i t i e s .



··8<300!\

UNITED STATES DEPJlRH·1ENT OF THE INTERIOR

HERIT!',GE C C N S t : R V j - H I O ~ ~ AND RECREATIOi\! SERVICE

REGISTER OF HISTORIC PUlI.CES

INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORMCrescent Are.a Eis tor ic Dis tr ic t

Pla inf ie ld , ~ ~ i o n County

~ ~ e " J .Jer s ev

CONTI NUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE 1

8 . SIGNIFICANCE (con t inued)

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

P r io r to the a r r i v a l o f the whi te man, the Lenni-Lenape Ind ians , p a r t

of th e A l g o ~ q u i n T r i b e , l ived in t h i s area of New Je r sey . The Ice Age

had endowed t h i s area with a p ro t e c t i v e t e r r a i n , product ive fa rmlandsand f o r e s t s and "wonder ful pure a i r and sp r ings . " Ind ian t r a i l s became

th e h i q hway s and s t r e e t s still in use in P la in f i e ld t oday , I ' latchung

Avenue loca ted in the hea r t of th e His to r i c D i s t r i c t was once one o f

those t r a i l s . Remains o f an Indian v i l l ag e and b u r i a l grounds havebeen found in the l oc a l i t y o f F i r s t , Second and Third Place which a re

wi th in t ae boundar i es o f th e proposed Crescen t Avenue His t o r i c Di s

trict.

The first whi te settlers from Scot l and and Hol land a r r i v e d in th e

area in the 1580 ' s . The f i r s t permanent s e t t l e r was Thomas Gordonwho s e horne L12 s on Cedar Br-ook adj acen t to Cre scen t Avenue, and whose

land ho lc inq s C ( ) ' J e r ' - ~ Q rcos t of what i s p resen t -d ay P l a i n f i e l d . The

en th u s i a s t i c 1 2 t t ~ ~ s ~ a ~ k heme d e t a i l i n g the h ea l t h f u l c l i ma t e , p l e n

t i f l l1 ga8e , f i sh an j f G ~ ~ l f good s o i l and water brought othe r s e t t l e r sto New J e r s e y , in sp i t e of the "Flee ~ v ~ h e s a l t m a r s h e ~ , most t r o u b l e

some in tb.2 s:;m;Ti.2::' ." r'::-: e s e e lements cont inued through th e y ea r s to

a t t r a c t n ~ ~ r e s i d e ~ t s . \

Dur i nq th e Re vo l .: t i:J;;ar=:· h'ar, pa t r i o t s from area fami I ie s served in

m i l it i a ~ e g i m e n t s as f 2 0 ~ so l d i e r s and of f i c e r s . An impor tan t b a t t l e ,

th e 3 a t t ~ e c f ~ ~ l l s f was fought in the a rea in June o f 1777and r ~ ' l a s i c ; . : : ~ r J 0 = = < - : ~ ~ l i : " " ~ r e p e L l I nq th e B r i t i s h in tJe\v J e r s e y . SOITte o f

the homes o r t n o s e 'J-/hv suppor ted th e cause o f the Revolut ion still

e x i s t t oday : The Drake House Museum, where Washington r e s t e d and

b r i e f e d h i s o f f i c e r s ,2!1d

the Vermule home s t.e ad , where the o f f i c e r spere quac te red .

Fo l lo w in g th e w ar , i n d u s t r y and t r a n s p o r t a t i o n began to q r ow a n d .take on added impor t ance , con t r ibu t ing to the economi c p ro sp e r it y. Pl . : :dnfieL3 b e c ame o f f i c i a l l y r e coc n i ze d on Apr i I 1 r 1800 wit h a popul a t ion o f 215. The Gordon Gazateer in 1834 g a ~ e a glowing aCCoLnt o f

a l l the r i ch r e s o l J r c e s - l n - P l ~ ~ I l - 1 I i e l < J an d noted t h a t " the S O C } : . : t y r s

mora.l and r e l i g i o u s . "



3 0 ~ j / \

UNIYED STATES D E P A R T ~ ~ N T OF THE INTERIOR

j - - I ~ : : 1T;\CC C ( ) ' · l S c ~ r < - ' / / ' ~ . r 1 ( ) I ' ~ r,,\J R E C R E ; ' - ~ · l 0 ' \ J SERVIC=

'rIONAl. REGlSTER Or' HISTORIC PLACESiN t: 7l::NT'T' r" D "'/ NTO'· ' f I " ' · A ~ - ' n " r "'OUM V L i ......in" - - j. lVt l''ll 11v1" A' ...,1'

Cr es ce n t t.c e : His to r i c D is t r i c t

? l a : L n f i e l d ~ r ~ i 0 2 C o u ~ t y "JeIN Jersey

CONTi NUAT!ON SHEET ITEM NUMBER

RECEIVED

DATE ENTERED," - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ____.J

PAGE 2

8 . SIGNIFICANCE ( con t inued)

It was in P l a i n f i e l d In 1847 t h a t th e model fo r th e p u b l i c s c h o o l

sys t e m fo r th e state was d e v i s e d . Through th e efforts o f th e D r.

C ha r l e s : :. S t i l l m a n , P l a i n f i e l d p h y s i c i a n , th e New Je r sey L e g i s l a t u r e

empowered th e c i t y to r a i s e money by t a x a t i o n in or de r to e s t ~ b l i s h a

p u b l i c schoo l s y s t em . An accoun t of the day d e c l a r e s , "No one can

measure t ~ 2 e f f e c t o f t h i s e n l i gh t e ne d po l i c y i n ex tend ing th e fame o f

the c i t y a nd bu i l d i ng up its p r o s p e r i t y . " Many of th e peop le wh o were

a c t i v e in e duc a t i on and c u l t u r a l a c t i v i t i e s l i v ed wi th in the bounds o f

th e H i s t o r i c D i s t r i c t .

T ~ H : rno s t; i nf Lu e n t i a I fo rce to th e development o f P l a i n f i e l d \ ' ;3.5 th e

r a i l r o a d , which b r o ~ g ~ ~ a b o u t a c h a n g e in th e s o c i a l and e c o n o m i c

c h a r a c t e r o f th e t own . ~ n e n a direct c o n n e c t i o n w as made be t we e n

P l e . i n f i e l d ana New Yo r k Citoi , c . 1850, P l a i n f i e l d became a c orunu t e rt ()\'(t.l •

Duri0SL ~ e

C i v i l~ 3 ~ r ~ a ~ ~

i o e a l r e s i d e n t s were involved in th e f i g h t Ing . G 2 n 2 ~ 6 1 S t e r l i ~ g ? 2 S 2 ~ 2 r a l on McCleland ' s s t a f f , b u i l t h i s home

~ . ~ s e t c l ed O ~ F i r s t ? c ~ : 2 a ~ : e r th e War.

J o ~ 2 ' ~ a 2 . 0 , : ; ~ < : j i . ~ a : _ t : - - : [ ' : ' ~ : : : . , who became known as " P l a i n f i e l d ' s GrandOld i']aL" r s e t t l e d in ~ l 2 = - , : f ' : e l d in 1867, fo l lowing th e C i v i l ~ V ' a r . An

i n v e n t o r , he h2d s i ~ ? l i f l ~ 5 the l oad ing o f f e r r y s l i p s with a p a t e n t e d

12 c)" '=> l i r;'J Ci':C-'- ' lCcC'. . : : ' , ' r : ; ~ a s e d with Evan J one s , twenty f ou r a c r e s o f

La nd · 'in. tl-,2 s uc c r r s _ .!..-:::1 it o u t in v i l l a g e l o t s and s t r e e t s and

e re c: t ;2 cJ t; e - - 1" E _ : : : 'C;:. .: ': :.. ~ . . : . . re s ide nee s 0 f f in e arch i t e e t 1.1r a 1 de s i 9 n ,

drr:','ving t:-.e pl3.::3 :: · ; :- :1:2G a l l h i ms.e L f " He was h is own c on t . r a c t o r and

0','1',,'2:3 a g:-ea::.,::?:' ~ . : : c . . " : . o f c:he Land t h a t i nc ludes Crescen t and h'<J.tcflung

Avenues . Se des igned a p 2 : - t i cu l a r ly d i s t i n c t i v e s t y l e of a r c h i t e c t u r e

"s 'cucco-wa. l led , i ' 1 a ; : ~ - i 3 : c d r oo f e d , still s tand ing toddy . " He c on t i nue d tob u i l d h orne s in d i f f e r e n t p a r t s o f th e c i t y u n t i l h i s po s e e s c i o n s

i nc l c de d more t han one hundred P l a i n f i e l d houses . His o b i t u a r y n o t i c e

i r: ';891 no ted t h at. "hi.s pur s e a lways ready to respond to th e c a l l s o f

(2e,:;cr,'ing c h a r i t y . " He wa s a pub l i c be ne f a c t o r , mi:ikinc; po s a i b I.c th e

= ' ~ i ~ : J i L i h r . ~ ~ ; - c ~ i ~ ~ n \ J t.hc .Jo o Y i . : . ~ l c / \ " t ~ · t ( ; , = ~ l l c r ' Y , ~ 1 : 1 ( i ( ; ~ ] : ' : J . ; . ~ L ; - - ~ ' _ ~ '-. 1 : l l l ~ ; ;=0("

I.:: he ·n0 S pit a 1. , t; 11 e Cr ('; s c '2 n t A" l C n II '2 P re s b " t (' ,- 1 ('I n Ch u r c h , c1 n d th e

:.! J. i :.1 ~ - ; . Ch ;1 ~ : : - c •



Improvements"

spirit t h a t

houses are

t h e i r p l a i n

th eir

bay win

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE HIJTERIOR - ····: ·•· ·C·······R······Si..UcE···:··:OO···L····Y··trOR.....··_.H"' .. :".:.- "oJ - " ":.". . . . . . ."i '. 'H = ~ < I T ; 0 , G E CUJS:::RVf>nC\; /.ND R E C R E A T I O I ~ SERVICE · R E C E l ~ ~ b ; i ·········

REGISTER OF l-llSTORIC PLACES 6 ~ f ~ i ~ ~ w ~ ~ ~ g < t ~ ; ; ; ; i / ..

,i,:':' : ' ~ : < ~ ' : ",INVE1'ITORY -- NOMINATION FORMCrescent Area Ejs tor i c Dis t r i c t

P la inf ie ld , ~ ~ i o n County

CONTI NUATION SH!:ET ITEM NUMBER PAGE 3

8 . SIGNIFICANCE (con t inued)

A CeDtra l New J e r s ey Times account in 1870 o f "Our Town

wr o t e , "T'h e improvements in bu i ld ing i s the ex p res s io n o f al ead s t o p ro g res s iv e movements in o t h e r d i r e c t i o n s . The o ld

no t recognizab le with t i n t s o f brown and cream and o l i v e ,

roo

fs me

t arnor pho s e d

by pediments ,fancy

g ab lesand

corni ce

s ,

p r i tn i t i ve 3 .irnp l ic i t Y conver ted in to modern beauty by wings ,

dows, recessed p r Q j e ~ t i o ~ s and every v a r i e t y o f a r c h i t e c t u ~ a l deve lop-

ment . II The w r i t e r f u r t h e r comments on the "new h o u ses , with t he i rasp i r ing t owe r s , F-cench ro o f s and cu p o las . " It was th e kind o f com

r iun i t.y t h a t led th e E' l i z ab e t h Herald in May o f 1888 to wr i t e , "The

bu s t L i r.q a c t i v i t y o f th e c i ty o f P l a i n f i e l d . • i s r ema r k ab Le v And

to c oric Lu d e , "The n e xt; move in P' l a i n f i e l.d , no doub t , ' d i l l be the horse

c a r s . "

P l a i n f i " l d h ad b e c om e c., f a s h i o n a b l e s u m m e r ; r e so r t an d e v e n t u a l l y

a t t r a c t e d 23ny weal tny New Y o ~ k businessmen to s e t t l e here yea r ' round .

rEb'::, Gas L'iq h t; A':]'2 e,:rc:-::=-s r.e mo r i. e s o f P l a i n f i e l d w i t h theatricals,

m i n s t r e l ''3]:;o'..;s; r oL l e r r ';'::;,:s and o t h e r forms o f e n t e r t a i n m e n t . Thes i t e 0 f m , , ~ r : : y ho t ;21 S r th", I:r..;, '::.benroc>d was reputed to be one o f the "mosth e a Ith f u I r c o " : - - f o : . ~ t , = . o l . ~ '>, ' acce s s i.bl e in land s ummer r e s o r t s in the

COUll t .r y .. n

By 1 3 9 0 , ~ I l t h sub s t an t ia l weal th and Lmprovemen t s , P l a i n f i e l d cont inued to advance and p ro sp e r , a t t r a c t i n g people o f subs t a nc e to l i ve

h e r e . F.S s uc ce s s f u I > \ ; s ~ n a S s D e n and t h e i r f a m i l i e s s e t t l e d in the

C'>c'C,.::;",n.: ':,.';:::,,-'0' :::c?d . : > e ~ , ' became ac t i v e in the c u l t u r a l , r e l i g i o u s ,

2:"d .:::Jucat':'J'la:L ::':: ':3.:':-::-': o r th e c i t y . James W. Jack so n , William D.

l-lu r cay bo t n se rv 2':: , i3 ;::: 2 3 i den t s o f the new.Ly-e f o rme d YMCA. Henry C.

Squ i r e s es t ab l i s h ed th2 Hope Chapel on January 1, 1888 as a branch o f

t ~ e C r e s c e ~ t Ave;;ue P ~ e s b y t e r i a n Chur c h . Augus t u s B a ldwin wory-eo

c lose ly ~ 7 i t h Job M a ~ e in e s t a b l i s h i n g the f i r s t f r ee p u b l i c l i b r a r y and

th e a r t g a l l e r y . In 1883 some o f the f i r s t s u b s c r i b e r s t o l i the l a s t

word in modern e f f i c i e n c y " , the t e l e p h o n e , l i v e d in th e D i s t r i c t :G ~ : o r g e Go dd a r d , F. O . Her r ing! Leander L ove l l , and th e Dumond fami ly .

Mlnv served as members o f th e Common C Q u ~ c i l .



UNITED ST.L\TES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

HC.KlT!\GE C C ~ ~ 5 E R V A T I O i \ l f-,,'\jD R E C R E j \ , T I m ~ SERVICE

TIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

INVENTOR Y -- NOMINAnO N FORMCrescen t .4:["22. Eis to r ic Di s t r i c t

?la inf ie ld , ( : l ion County:': e ~ " " T J er S 2):

CONTI NUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE 4

8. SIGNI2ICANCE ( c o ~ t i n u e d )

A f t e r Job Male 's d ea t h , P la in f i e ld cont inued to be a high ly des i rab le

neighborhood and remained t h a t 0ay u n t i l the 1 9 3 0 ' s , when many o f the

l a rge homes were conver ted to apar tment s . This p ro ces s con t inues withs ing 1e f ami ly res idences a lmos t non-exi s t a n t t o d ay . The a l t e r a t ions

fo r the most p a r t a re t a s t e f u l l y done and a re not d e t r i men t a l to th eb a s i c s t y } 9 and c h a r ~ o f th e o r i g i n a l b u i l d i n g . T h i s makes fo r ap e r t i cu l a r l y f ine co l l e c t i o n of bui ld ings ap p ro p r i a t e to an His to r i c

D i s t r i c t .

NOTES ON RECOLLECTIONS OF LONG TIME RESIDENTS OF THE AREA

Longtime re s iden t s o f ? l ? i ~ f i e l d have been in te rv iewed rega rd ing t h e i r

r e c o l l e c t io n s o f famous r e s i d e n t s of t h i s a rea . Those persons i n t e r -

vIewed were Mrs. Lawrence Heely, Mrs. Henry N o ~ s , Mrs. Dorothy Wil l s ,

Hrs . Helen ' \ lygatt , ;Vir. .Jo hn Harmon, Miss Gwen Cochran , t1rs. DorothyD(:H2 C t, :,1 i. ,3 Do r 0 : : '! L <2 ;:. ,"";., I"I:r. A1 f re d Ge nun g , Mr. A le x Kroll, rot r •

~ . L . C . Marsh, Mrs. H 2 n d r l c ~ Van Oss and o th e r s .

M 2 ~ Y 920ple ~ a v e l ived t ~ E r e who were ~ u t s t a n d i n : c u l t u r a l f i e l d s ,

e duc a t ion . 3 . : ~ l C po Li t i c s , 2iS we Ll as very s u cces s fu l p r o f e s s i on a l and

bus iness ~ e ~ , ac t ive ~ c ~ j l ~ c a l l y and ' in N e ~ York C i t y . Also educators

and s t a t ~ 3 m e 0 l ived t e r e .

John C a ~ l s 8 n , a r e n o ~ ~ 2 ~ ~ i s t and m e ~ b e r of the N at io n a l Academy l i ved

v t J·c.-d ?': : : , 'O" , ; ~ 3 c': ~ ; l ' - _ : = . ; :3c:.::' ..Ie I who achieved i n t e r n a t i o n a l f arna fo r h is

d es i s n s S ~ e c b 2 n ~ : ~ s s . Another prominent a r t i s t who l ived here was

Thomas H a r t 3 e n ~ o ~ w h o s ~ b r o t h e r l i v e d fo r many y e a r s on C re s c e n t Avenue . Also Wil l iam G i l b e r t , a w e l l known illustrator, l i v e d on

The au th o r of th e White C l i f f s of Dover, Al ice Duer Mi l l e r , A Van Darn

Honeyman, th e famous h i s t o r i a n , l ived on 9 th S t r e e t , and a l so Van WykBrooks ano ther wel l known au th o r . Ernes t Ackerman, a r e p re s e n t a t i v e in ..

u.s. Congress in the 1870 's and h is bro ther M a ~ i o n Ackerman, who l i v ed

on C re s c e n t Avenue , founded th e Lone S t a r Cement Company and weredeeply Lnvo l ved in many l a rge n a t i o n a l impor tan t f i n a n c i a l ::>nd i rulus

t i a1 n t; e rp r i s e s •



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

hERIT:...GE CONSERVATION P \ ~ D RECREf\TION SERVICE

TIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

INVENTORY -- NOMINAnO N FORMCrescent Area His to r i c Di s t r i c t

Plainf ie ld , U n i ~ n C c ~ n t y ~ ; e \ . ; r Jersey

CONTI NUATiON SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE 5

8. SIGNI?ICANCE (con t inued)

The famous opera s i n g e r , Mario Caruso , marr ied a Goddard and was f r e -q u en t ly G:i v i s i t o r to P' l a i n f i e Ld" to th e Goddard House a t 213 East 9 th

S t r e e t . This family had a profound in f luence on the musica l advance-ment of th e e n t i r e a rea .

The a rea abounded in Lawye r s , j udges and p o l i t i c i a n s , inc lud ing four

Mayors o f P l a i ~ f i e l d , a"d people in the fo re ign s e rv i ce fo r 25 y e a r s ,

such as Hendrick Van Oss, most recen t ly served as ambassador to Mada-

gasc3r and o t h e r c o u n t r i e s .

The Crescen t Avenue area was t r u l y the h ea r t of the t o w ~ and boasted

the most impor tan t and i n f l u e n t i a l people o f the per iod 1860 through1320. The homes of t h ese ?8ople r e f l e c t t h e i r t a s t e , af f luence and a re

a t an g i b l e p iece o f a r c h i t e c t u r a l h i s t o ry r e f l e c t i n g a glo r ious p a s t .:r

The [ . J : : : - : ) ; : ; O S ! - " : ~ j Crescen:: '::.'.'2:-.'..:e Area His to r i c D i s t r i c t i s a g re a t d ea l

ere than o f ~ l d j e u s e s . It i s p ro b ab l y one o f th e f i n e s tcol Le cc i o ns o f V i : . . ~ : c ; - c i ~ ; 1 e rch i t e c t ur e i n the Count ry . The term Vic-

t o r i an i3 a l l i n ~ l G s i v 2 2nd ernbracesnumerous s t y l e s t h a t echo t a s t e s

and d e co r a t i v e d e ~ l i c e s =: other per iods of archi tecture from otherc o u n t r i e s a ~ d o t t e ~ t i m e ~ t han th e one in which th e p res en t bu i ld ings

H ~ r e CO;--,?tr...:,::t:::0, ~ , : E - : - : : ~ : ; : : - i t y o f these have what in a r c h i t e c t ur a It e r ~ s - , ~ ~ ~ = - ~ ~ ~ = ~ a l i a n a t e which stems f r o ~ the a r c h i t e c t u r a l

s t y l e s p o p u l ~ r = ~ a l ; going back as f a r as By zan t i n e d e r i v a t i v es t y l e s , arid i.3::: c en t ur y Venet ian p a l aces . These v a r i e ty o f des ign s t y l e s r e s u l t in the sudden surge o f i n t e r e s t in European c u l t u r e s and

an a t t ernp t; by t be s ud d e n.l y succes s fu l an d new c l a s s of ',oi'e a l thy bus i -nessmen who were an x i o u s to r e f l e c t t h e i r s u c c e s s in th e work o f

f i n an ce in t h e i r homes. These i n t e r e s t s were s t i m u l a t e d by t h e i rt r a v e l s abroad and what they had seen , which was cons ide red e legan t .

Thus we have Tuscan towers , I t a l i a n v i l l a s , Pa l azzo ' s with l o g g ia and



- .. J . J . . ~ L S t t ) : : - l C Pla inf ie ld , Vniail CountyF H R ~ ~ , ) C O (11-78)

New Je r sey

United States Department of the Interior

tjaritage Conservation and Recreation Service

~ ~ : a i i o n a J Register of Historic Places

~ n v e n i o r y - N o m i n a t i o n F"olmContinuation sheet Item number Page 6

8. S I G N I ~ I C A ~ C E (cont inued)

-arcaded window and arches , Renaissance , Egyptian mot i f s , c l a s s i c a le l emen t s , and f ina l ly th e exuberan t e c l e c t i c s t y l e s throwing th e moreAmerican t r a i t s o f ca rpen te r Gothic and St ick s ty le in fo r good measu re . Engl i sh a r ch i t e c tu r e i s a l so r e f l e c t ed wi t h h a l f t imber , p r o

ject i .ng gab le s , Sas t l ake inf luence , Queen Anne and Edwardian s t y l e s .

The de ta i l photos of these bu i ld ings r e f l e c t the pains tak ing c r a f t s manship of the bui lde rs and imaginat ive design a b i l i t i e s o f th e a r c h i

t e c t s . i s t ru l y a t a n g i b l e record o f t h e p a s t which s h o u l d bep re s e rv ed as c lose to i t s o r ig in a l s t a t e as p r a c t i c a l , in t h e i r new

ro l e o f many being converted fo r mul t i - fami ly use.

The Crescen t Area His to r i c Di s t r i c t i s one of the f i n e s t c o l l e c t i o n s of suburban

V i c t o ~ i a n arch i t ec tu re in New Je r sey . Developed as a specu la t ive r e a l e s ~ a t e ven tur e

in the 1870 's by Job Male, the hl l i ld ings a re an i repress ive presen ta t ion of I t a l i 2 n a t e

arid Se cond 2o-:upire s ty l e a r ch i tec t u r e of the mid to l a t e 19th century . The houses Her-e

p r Lmz- r Ll.y d c , ~ ignec fo r weal. t hy bus Lnessme n and, cons aquenj Ly , vi sages wl t h Ln th e

d i s.t r Lc t s t i l. I re ta in a f Lne e Le.ganc e in t h e i r t o t a l ambiance o f bu i ld ings and t h e i r

a 3 s o c i a t i o ~ ~ i t h I d ~ ~ ~ ~ 3 p ~ n g . r ~ ~ ~ ~ c s t r ee t s , s idewalks , and t r e e s .



1

Crescent Area Historic Dis t r ic t

United States Department of the Inter iorHer! tage Conserv:ation and Recreation Service

N,ational Register oj Historic Piacesinventory-Nominat ion Form

Ccntinuation sheet Item number Page

. BIBLIOGIt.<\PHY

AUTHOR TITLE DATE

John J.G. Identifying American Architecture

New Jersey Times 1870-1885

~ . . l . Woodford History of Union & Middlesex Co. 1882

Jean Carter History Crescent Ave. Church

i er New s ~ i s t o r y of Plainfield

'",ourler News Nov.

1954

in , Harry Grandfather 's House We Go

T I ~ 2 Architecture of Countuy Houses

r. •

..... , "II •

Plainfield .t 'UD i r c

F .A.. ~ t l a s City of P J ~ i n f i e l d and 1894

Bora of North Plainf ie ld

& CD. (Pub.) Plainf ie ld City Directory 1876-7

Mass.

= = ~ ~ e s of American Living

.A.. '·ia.n Dor n 3is tory of Union County

Volumes I , I I , & I I I

Howard History of Plainfield 1942

of Women Voters This is Plainfield

Cabe , ~ " a : - n e Historic Tour - Plainfield, N.J. 1974

1954



Crescent Area Eistor ic Dist r ic t

Plainf ield, Union County

:'; ew Je r s ey

tinned States Department of the Interior

neritage Conservation and Recreation Service

Naiionai Register of Historic Placesinv,'eniory-Nomination Form

2ontinuation &"leet Item number Page

, B I B L I O G ~ ~ H Y (continued)

AUTHOR TITLE DATE

Area C h ~ ~ b e r of Commerce Plainfield Area, N.J.

by P l a i n f i ~ l d Courier News Plainfield & Vicinity Pictures 1926

Daily Press Fri . & Sat.

Jan. 30,31, 1891

Evening News Sat.Hay 23, 1888

& North Plainfield 1879-80

Directory

& North Plainf ield 1894-5

Directory

Dorochy & Richard A Guide to Early Amer i.canTlome s

i l. e y , F.T. ~ i s t o r y of Plainfield 1891

Plainfield's Crescent Area HD Nomination

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Transcript of Plainfield's Crescent Area HD Nomination