As the weather turns warmer, consider stepping out for a socially-distanced walk around Montclair. And if, like us, you find yourself stopping before a house, a church, a park, or a cemetery and wondering about its history, send us an email, or share a photo with us on Facebook or Instagram.
Of course, we’ve been walking and wondering our way around Montclair for quite some time now. Taking pictures, doing research, and sharing what we find. Many of the images seen below were previously posted on our social media accounts, but there is a certain pleasure in seeing them all together. We hope you agree!
Here then is the second in a series of posts with 3 themes: doors, roofs, and cornerstones/plaques.
Previous entries in this series: Part 1.
Doors
Minnie A. Lucey House, 272 Baldwin St., Glen Ridge, NJ. Built in largely Italian immigrant neighborhood of Montclair in 1930 (town boundaries can shift over time) in Italianate villa style. Named for beloved Montclair Township social worker, Minnie Lucey, who had worked with residents of the neighborhood since 1915. Building named for her in 1932 after her death.
Two griffins adorn the front doors of 67 Upper Mountain Avenue.
Transom window detail, front door, 64 Upper Mountain Avenue.
Roofs
Roof detail seen in the Upper Montclair Business District which is defined by Tudor Revival buildings constructed circa 1905-1920.
Roof detail seen on one of the Carpenter Gothic/Stick style “Seven Sisters” homes on Chestnut Street between Park Street and Valley Road, built circa 1875
Roof detail, seen on a home in the Frog Hollow neighborhood
Cornerstones, plaques
Crane House (110 Orange Road), built in 1796 by Israel “King” Crane. Crane was descended from the first English settlers who arrived in Montclair in the late 1600s. His family lived in the house until approximately 1902. The Montclair Historical Society (now Montclair History Center) was formed to move the Crane house to its current location when it faced demolition in 1965.
Historical marker (551 Valley Road) at the doorstep of the home, no longer standing, where the General Marquis de Lafayette slept while he and George Washington camped in Montclair, NJ in October 1780.
This cornerstone reflects a century of history at St. Cassian Roman Catholic Church (187 Bellevue Avenue). Founded in 1895 as a mission church of Immaculate Conception Church on North Fullerton Avenue, the original shingle style church was built in 1900 but demolished in 1992 due to structural issues. The present church building was erected in 1995 and features some lovely modern stained glass windows.
Montclair Public Library (50 South Fullerton Avenue). Current building constructed 1954, replacing smaller libraries in the area including the first free public library on the second story of Dr. Love’s medical office on Church Street and then the Carnegie Library at the corner of Church and Orange Road (now part of Unitarian Church).