Droyer's Point
Encyclopedia
Droyer's Point is a section of Jersey City, New Jersey
at Newark Bay
.
. To the north, Kellog Street creates its boundary with the brownfield and site of Bayfront, a planned urban development project. The point itself is opposite Kearny Point, with which it marks the mouth of the Hackensack River
.
- its other locations are further inland on the West Side
. Just to the north are the residential communities
built by the Hovnanian Enterprises
. Construction was delayed until there was remediation of chromium
found at the site. Known as Society Hill, built in the late 1980s and Droyer's Point, built in the mid 2000s, the complex includes condominium and rental townhomes and apartments and includes amenities such as pools, tennis courts, and a marina. Completed portions of the Hackensack RiverWalk
, a public waterfront promendade which is accessible to the public through entrances outside the development, run along the shoreline.
, the area was the territory of the Hackensack
and Raritan at the time of European contact in the 17th century. They called the area on Minkakwa, meaning a place of good crossing. This is likely so because it was the most convenient pass between two bays (the other being the Upper New York Bay
) on either side of the Bergen Neck
peninsula and near a natural break in Bergen Hill
, the formation that rises to become the Hudson Palisades. Interpreted as place where the coves meet, in this case where they are closest to each, it describes a spot advantageous for portage
. Just inland of Droyer's Point the construction of the Morris Canal
in the 1830s took advantage of the geology to cut across Pamrapo. The canal then ran parallel to the bay before connecting to the river at a location further to the north. A filled portion of the landmark can still be seen as a unmarked right of way in the nearby Country Village
neighborhood.
and the construction of bulkhead
, with the intention of expanding the city's port facilities south of the CRRNJ
Newark and New York Railroad
(which travelled from Downtown Newark
across the river and Bergen Hill
to Communipaw Terminal
). While the planned distributuion facilities never materialized, the area did became the site of the short lived Jersey City Airport, which opened in 1927.
For a short time the airport was operated by Eddie August Schneider
, a native of the city and one of early aviation's youthful celebrities. The Jersey City Seaplane Base was later located nearby.
The Art Deco
style Roosevelt Stadium was Works Progress Administration
project secured by Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague
,
as was The Jersey City Medical Center It was named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt
, the author of that New Deal
agency. Groundbreaking took place in 1935. The baseball
park
's opening was scheduled for April 22, 1937 with the opening of the 1937 International League
season. Mayor Hague declared a half-holiday for the city's schools and employees. New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham
was expected at the opener along with Senator Harry Moore
. Rain washed out the planned events and the opening was postponed until April 23 with Mayor Hague throwing out the first pitch and Sen. Moore and owner Horace Stoneham on hand for the ballpark's dedication.
The stadium was also the home field of the Jersey City Giants
, and was used for seven "home" games by the Brooklyn Dodgers
during their last couple of seasons in Brooklyn, 1956 and 1957. On April 18, 1946, Roosevelt Stadium hosted the Jersey City Giants' season opener against the Montreal Royals
, marking the professional debut of the Royals' Jackie Robinson
. The stadium also hosted boxing
bouts including fight with Max Baer, "Two Ton Tony" Galento
, Marcel Cerdan
and Tony Zale
In 1950, Sugar Ray Robinson
defended his welterweight title; in 1951, Jersey Joe Walcott
beat heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles
. During the 1970s the stadium was used sporadically as a music venue with performances by the Grateful Dead
, Allman Brothers Band, Beach Boys, Eric Clapton
, Tony Bennett
, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
, among others In November 1982, the Jersey City City Council voted to demolish the stadium. It was demolished in 1985.
with service to Journal Square
via West Side Avenue
. There is discussion to extend the Hudson Bergen Light Rail from the current West Side Avenue (HBLR station)
terminus to a location near the waterfront, but there is no projected date for the project. The Danforth Avenue Station is located about a mile to the east. Direct communter bus service to Manhattan
is provided by privately operated NYC Commuter.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
at Newark Bay
Newark Bay
Newark Bay is a tidal bay at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers in northeastern New Jersey. It is home to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the largest container shipping facility in Port of New York and New Jersey, 3rd largest and one of busiest in the United States...
.
Geography
In the southwestern part of the of the city, Droyer's Point is located on the Newark Bay. Its eastern perimeter is New Jersey Route 440. The point is entered from the highway's intersection with Danforth AvenueDanforth Avenue (Hudson County)
-Station:The Danforth Avenue Station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail is located one block east of Garfield Avenue, near the location of the former Central Railroad of New Jersey Greenville station.-Service:...
. To the north, Kellog Street creates its boundary with the brownfield and site of Bayfront, a planned urban development project. The point itself is opposite Kearny Point, with which it marks the mouth of the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
.
Description
Since the 1980s Droyer's Point has been developed as a residential and recreation area. At its southern end is the Athletic Complex of New Jersey City UniversityNew Jersey City University
New Jersey City University is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. It is a member of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities....
- its other locations are further inland on the West Side
West Side, Jersey City
The West Side of Jersey City is a made of several diverse neighborhoods on either side of West Side Avenue, one of the city's main shopping streets...
. Just to the north are the residential communities
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
built by the Hovnanian Enterprises
Hovnanian Enterprises
Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. is a United States real estate company involved in every aspect of marketing homes, including design, construction and sales. The company works with individual detached housing as well as higher-occupancy dwellings, including townhouses, condominiums and retirement homes...
. Construction was delayed until there was remediation of chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
found at the site. Known as Society Hill, built in the late 1980s and Droyer's Point, built in the mid 2000s, the complex includes condominium and rental townhomes and apartments and includes amenities such as pools, tennis courts, and a marina. Completed portions of the Hackensack RiverWalk
Hackensack RiverWalk
Hackensack RiverWalk a is partially constructed greenway along the Newark Bay and Hackensack River on the west side of the Bergen Neck peninsula in Hudson County, New Jersey...
, a public waterfront promendade which is accessible to the public through entrances outside the development, run along the shoreline.
Minkakwa and Morris Canal
Originally a tidal marshTidal marsh
A tidal marsh is a type of marsh that is found along coasts and estuaries of which the flooding characteristics are determined by the tidal movement of the adjacent estuary, sea or ocean . According to the salinity of the flooding water, freshwater, brackish and saline tidal marshes are...
, the area was the territory of the Hackensack
Hackensack (Native Americans)
Hackensack was the exonym given to a band of Lenape, a Native American people is a European derivation of the Lenape word for what is now the region of northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers.-Territory and Society:...
and Raritan at the time of European contact in the 17th century. They called the area on Minkakwa, meaning a place of good crossing. This is likely so because it was the most convenient pass between two bays (the other being the Upper New York Bay
Upper New York Bay
Upper New York Bay, or Upper Bay, is the traditional heart of the Port of New York and New Jersey, and often called New York Harbor. It is enclosed by the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island and the Hudson County, New Jersey municipalities of Jersey City and Bayonne.It...
) on either side of the Bergen Neck
Bergen Neck
Bergen Neck is a name for the peninsula between the Upper New York Bay and the Newark Bay in the Hudson County, New Jersey municipalities of Bayonne and Jersey City...
peninsula and near a natural break in Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
, the formation that rises to become the Hudson Palisades. Interpreted as place where the coves meet, in this case where they are closest to each, it describes a spot advantageous for portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
. Just inland of Droyer's Point the construction of the Morris Canal
Morris Canal
The Morris Canal was an anthracite-carrying canal that incorporated a series of water-driven inclined planes in its course across northern New Jersey in the United States. It was in use for about a century — from the late 1820s to the 1920s....
in the 1830s took advantage of the geology to cut across Pamrapo. The canal then ran parallel to the bay before connecting to the river at a location further to the north. A filled portion of the landmark can still be seen as a unmarked right of way in the nearby Country Village
Country Village, Jersey City
Country Village is an residential enclave in the southwestern corner of the Greenville section of Jersey City, New Jersey that was built as planned community in the early 1960s.-Design and geography:...
neighborhood.
Jersey City Airport
In the 1920s the land which was owned by the city became the object of development which included land reclamationLand reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
and the construction of bulkhead
Bulkhead
Bulkhead may refer to:* Bulkhead, a compartment of a building for preventing spread of fires, see Compartmentalization * Bulkhead , a retaining wall used as a form of coastal management, akin to a seawall, or as a structural device such as a bulkhead partition* Bulkhead , a wall within the hull of...
, with the intention of expanding the city's port facilities south of the CRRNJ
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
Newark and New York Railroad
Newark and New York Railroad
The Newark and New York Railroad was a passenger rail line that ran between Downtown Newark and the Communipaw Terminal at the mouth of the North River in Jersey City, bridging the Hackensack River and Passaic River just north of their mouths at the Newark Bay in northeastern New...
(which travelled from Downtown Newark
Downtown Newark
Downtown Newark is Newark, New Jersey's major central business, retail, and cultural district. It is located at a bend in the Passaic River.Downtown is the site of the original Puritan settlement of Newark. The first settlers, led by Robert Treat, landed not far from the present site of the New...
across the river and Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
to Communipaw Terminal
Communipaw Terminal
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, sometimes known as Communipaw Terminal was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal at the mouth of the Hudson River at the Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey.-Designation:...
). While the planned distributuion facilities never materialized, the area did became the site of the short lived Jersey City Airport, which opened in 1927.
For a short time the airport was operated by Eddie August Schneider
Eddie August Schneider
Eddie August Henry Schneider set three transcontinental airspeed records for pilots under the age of twenty-one in 1930. His plane was a Cessna Model AW with a Warner-Scarab engine, one of only 48 built, that he called "The Kangaroo". He set the east-to-west, then the west-to-east, and the...
, a native of the city and one of early aviation's youthful celebrities. The Jersey City Seaplane Base was later located nearby.
Roosevelt Stadium
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style Roosevelt Stadium was Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
project secured by Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague
Frank Hague
Frank Hague was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jersey from 1922 until 1949, and Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1924 until 1949.Hague has a widely-known...
,
as was The Jersey City Medical Center It was named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, the author of that New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
agency. Groundbreaking took place in 1935. The baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
park
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
's opening was scheduled for April 22, 1937 with the opening of the 1937 International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
season. Mayor Hague declared a half-holiday for the city's schools and employees. New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham
Horace Stoneham
Horace C. Stoneham was the principal owner of Major League Baseball's New York/San Francisco Giants from the death of his father, Charles Stoneham, in 1936 until 1976. During his ownership, the team won National League pennants in 1936, 1937, 1951, 1954 and 1962, a division title in 1971, and a...
was expected at the opener along with Senator Harry Moore
A. Harry Moore
Arthur Harry Moore was a Democrat who was the 39th Governors of New Jersey, serving three terms between 1926 and 1941. He was the longest-serving New Jersey Governor in the 20th century and the only New Jersey Governor elected to serve three separate non-consecutive terms...
. Rain washed out the planned events and the opening was postponed until April 23 with Mayor Hague throwing out the first pitch and Sen. Moore and owner Horace Stoneham on hand for the ballpark's dedication.
The stadium was also the home field of the Jersey City Giants
Jersey City Giants
The Jersey City Giants was the name of a high-level American minor league baseball franchise that played in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the top farm system affiliate of the New York Giants from 1937 through 1950. The Jersey City club played in the International League...
, and was used for seven "home" games by the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
during their last couple of seasons in Brooklyn, 1956 and 1957. On April 18, 1946, Roosevelt Stadium hosted the Jersey City Giants' season opener against the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
, marking the professional debut of the Royals' Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
. The stadium also hosted boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
bouts including fight with Max Baer, "Two Ton Tony" Galento
Tony Galento
Domenico Antonio Galento was an American heavyweight boxer. Nicknamed "Two Ton" for his reasoning to his manager for being nearly late to one of his fights: "I had two tons of ice to deliver on my way here". Galento was one of the most colorful fighters in the history of the sport...
, Marcel Cerdan
Marcel Cerdan
Marcellin "Marcel" Cerdan was a French pied noir world boxing champion who was considered by many boxing experts and fans to be France's greatest boxer, and beyond to be one of the best to have learned his craft in Africa...
and Tony Zale
Tony Zale
Anthony Florian Zaleski was an American boxer. Zale was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, a steel town, which gave him his nickname, "Man of Steel." In addition, he had the reputation of being able to take fearsome punishment and still rally to win, reinforcing that nickname...
In 1950, Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
defended his welterweight title; in 1951, Jersey Joe Walcott
Jersey Joe Walcott
Arnold Raymond Cream , better known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He broke the world's record for the oldest man to win the world's Heavyweight title when he earned it at the age of , a record that would be broken on November 5, 1994, by George Foreman, who...
beat heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Mack Charles was an African-American professional boxer and former world heavyweight champion. He holds wins over numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. Charles retired with a record of 93 wins, 25 losses and 1 draw.-Career:He was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia,...
. During the 1970s the stadium was used sporadically as a music venue with performances by the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Allman Brothers Band, Beach Boys, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...
, among others In November 1982, the Jersey City City Council voted to demolish the stadium. It was demolished in 1985.
Transportation
The district is served by the A&C Bus CorporationA&C Bus Corporation
The A&C Bus Corporation, also known as the Montgomery & Westside Bus Owners Association, is a bus company in Jersey City, New Jersey. All buses operated by A&C are known for their solid red line on the side of the bus and the phrase "use the bus card on this bus" on the front of the...
with service to Journal Square
Journal Square
Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenues...
via West Side Avenue
West Side, Jersey City
The West Side of Jersey City is a made of several diverse neighborhoods on either side of West Side Avenue, one of the city's main shopping streets...
. There is discussion to extend the Hudson Bergen Light Rail from the current West Side Avenue (HBLR station)
West Side Avenue (HBLR station)
-External links:*...
terminus to a location near the waterfront, but there is no projected date for the project. The Danforth Avenue Station is located about a mile to the east. Direct communter bus service to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
is provided by privately operated NYC Commuter.