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By Herbert J. Githens
Jersey City is a nineteenth-century city. Downtown
Jersey City especially represents this fact in its built
environment. A wide spectrum of architectural styles can
be experienced in the houses within the Van Vorst Park
Historic District. This neighborhood is centered at
Montgomery Street and Jersey Avenue, where an urban square
orders townhouses – and the Main Branch of the Jersey City Library,
where this tour begins – on four sides.
A brief description of each of the seven basic styles
encountered on the tour follows.
Federal
This is the architectural style of the early American
Republic, dating from after the Revolution and into the first
two decades of the nineteenth century. At this time, Jersey
City was principally composed of independent villages,
including Paulus Hook, Pavonia, Communipaw, and Bergen. Few
houses in the present city date to that era.
The Second Empire Mode
After the Civil War, contemporary French architecture
influenced American building.. Architecture students went
to Paris for training and returned with enthusiasm for French
prototypes., Characteristic features of the Second Empire
Mode are the mansard roof and Renaissance details.
The Eastlake Mode
Charles Eastlake was a nineteenth-century English
designer who wrote an influential book called Hints on
Household Taste. It was a guidebook for a decorative era.
Eastlake advocated the use of fine contemporary materials
and machine methods. His influence in American architecture
peaked in the 1870s, '80s, and '90s.
Romanesque Revival
Under the influence of the architect Henry Hobson
Richardson and the Chicago School, late-nineteenth-century
American architects revived medieval Romanesque ideas. Round
arches, strong masonry structure, and cast terra cotta
ornaments are common features of this style. It dates from
the last two decades of the nineteenth century.
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Van Vorst Park Walking Tour Main Menu |
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