Journal Square
Encyclopedia
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...
, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal
Jersey Journal
The Jersey Journal is a newspaper published from Monday through Saturday, covering news and events throughout Hudson County, New Jersey. The headquarters in Jersey City are at Journal Square which was named after the newspaper...
whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard
County Route 501 (New Jersey)
County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections spanning Middlesex, Hudson and Bergen Counties. The southern section runs from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy, the northern section runs from Bayonne to Rockleigh, and the two sections are connected by New York State Route 440...
and Bergen Avenues
Bergen-Lafayette, Jersey City
Bergen-Lafayette is a section of Jersey City, New Jersey.As its name implies, Bergen-Lafayette is made of different neighborhoods. It lies west-southwest of Downtown and Liberty State Park...
. The broader area extends to and includes Bergen Square
Bergen Square
Bergen Square, at the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Academy Street in Jersey City, is in the southwestern part of the much larger Journal Square district...
, McGinley Square
McGinley Square
McGinley Square is in Jersey City, New Jersey, located near the middle of the city, south of Journal Square. The square itself is at the intersection of two of the city's major thoroughfares, Montgomery Street , and Bergen Avenue .The area was named after Monsignor Roger...
,
India Square
India Square
India Square also called Little India or Little Bombay is a neighborhood in Jersey City, New Jersey. The neighborhood is centered around Newark Avenue between Tonnelle Avenue and JFK Boulevard, and is considered to be part of the larger Journal Square district...
, the Five Corners
Five Corners, Jersey City
Five Corners is at the intersection of Summit Avenue, Newark Avenue and Hoboken Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey and is a northeastern part of the larger Journal Square district...
and parts of the Marion Section.
Many local, state, and federal agencies serving Hudson County maintain offices in the district.
History
Prior to its development as a commercial district Journal Square was the site of many farmhouses and manors belonging to descendants of the original settlers of BergenBergen, New Netherland
Bergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties...
, the first chartered municipality in the state settled in 1660 and located just south at Bergen Square
Bergen Square
Bergen Square, at the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Academy Street in Jersey City, is in the southwestern part of the much larger Journal Square district...
. In conjunction with the 1912 opening of the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Summit Avenue station many were demolished to make way for modern buildings, including the still standing Labor Bank Building
26 Journal Square
26 Journal Square is a high-rise in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was originally known as the Labor Bank Building. It was completed in 1928 and has 15 floors. It is the 23rd tallest building in the city. It is often considered the first skyscraper in Jersey City. The Beaux Arts building was designed...
and the Public Service
Public Service Railway
The Public Service Railway, owned by the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey, operated most of the streetcar lines in New Jersey by the early 20th century. Public Service lines stretched from northeast New Jersey to Trenton, and then south to Camden and its suburbs...
building. The Newkirk House and Van Wagenen House
Van Wagenen House
The Van Wagenen House, also known as Apple Tree House is located near Bergen Square in Jersey City, New Jersey. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 16, 2006.-History:...
remain, while the still-intact Sip Manor was moved to Westfield, New Jersey
Westfield, New Jersey
Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 30,316. The old village area, now the downtown district, was settled in 1720 as part of the Elizabethtown Tract....
. The square was created in 1923 when the city condemned and demolished the offices of the Jersey Journal, thus creating a broad intersection with Hudson Boulevard
County Route 501 (New Jersey)
County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections spanning Middlesex, Hudson and Bergen Counties. The southern section runs from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy, the northern section runs from Bayonne to Rockleigh, and the two sections are connected by New York State Route 440...
which itself had been widened in 1908. The newspaper built new headquarters and the new square was named in its honor.
The bridge carrying the boulevard was designed by consulting engineer Abraham Burton Cohen
Abraham Burton Cohen
Abraham Burton Cohen was an American civil engineer notable for his role in designing innovative and record-breaking concrete bridges such as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's Tunkhannock Viaduct, the world's largest concrete structure when completed...
and completed in 1926. For most of the twentieth century Journal Square was the cultural entertainment center of Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
, home to the movies palaces built in the 1920s: The State (1922, and since demolished), the Stanley Theater
Stanley Theater (Jersey City)
The Stanley Theater is a theater venue near Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey.The theater opened to the public on March 22, 1928. Mayor Frank Hague attended the ceremonies that evening and, with the audience, was greeted on the screen by actress Norma Talmadge...
(1928), and the Loew's Jersey Theater
Loew's Jersey Theater
The Loew's Jersey Theatre is a New Jersey Registered Historic Site in Jersey City, New Jersey of the United States of America. Opened in 1929, it was one of the five Loew's Wonder Theatres, a series of flagship Loew's movie palaces in the New York City area. It was designed by the architectural...
(1929). Karen Angel of The New York Daily News described Journal Square from the 1920s to the 1960s as "crown jewel, a glowing commercial, entertainment and transportation hub of the city." The Jersey Bounce
Jersey Bounce
"Jersey Bounce" is a song written by Tiny Bradshaw, Eddie Johnson and Bobby Plater with lyrics by Buddy Feyne who used the nom de plume Robert B. Wright . It hit #1 in 1942 as an instrumental recorded by Benny Goodman and his orchestra, and also charted that same year by Jimmy Dorsey and Shep Fields...
, a hit song in the 1940s mention the Journal Square in its lyrics as the place where it got started. Two days before Election Day in 1960 John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
made his last campaign speech before returning to New England at Journal Square..Hudson Boulevard was named Kennedy Boulevard
County Route 501 (New Jersey)
County Route 501 is a county highway in New Jersey in two sections spanning Middlesex, Hudson and Bergen Counties. The southern section runs from South Plainfield to Perth Amboy, the northern section runs from Bayonne to Rockleigh, and the two sections are connected by New York State Route 440...
soon after his assassination. The Tube Bar
Tube Bar prank calls
The Tube Bar prank calls are a legendary series of prank calls. Performed in the mid-1970s, John Elmo and Jim Davidson made a number of phone calls to the Tube Bar in Jersey City, asking the proprietor if they could speak to a named customer. The given names were homophones for other, often...
, so-called for the Hudson Tubes
Downtown Hudson Tubes
The Downtown Hudson Tubes are a pair of tunnels that carry PATH trains under the Hudson River between New York City and Jersey City in the United States. In lower Manhattan the trains travel to and from the World Trade Center station. In Jersey City the trains stop at the Exchange Place station...
(as the fore-runner of the PATH system was called) was made famous by Louis "Red" Deutsch getting prank calls there.
Today
Journal Square (PATH station)
The Journal Square Transportation Center is a multi-modal transportation hub located on Kennedy Boulevard at Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States...
and bus station. and is headquarters of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson
Port Authority Trans-Hudson
PATH, derived from Port Authority Trans-Hudson, is a rapid transit railroad linking Manhattan, New York City with Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City in metropolitan northern New Jersey...
. It is attributed to have contributed to the decline of the district by moving the train-bus interchange
Interchange station
An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system, and allows passengers to change from one route to another. Transfer may occur within the same mode, or between rail modes, or to buses...
, and thus pedestrians, away from other commercial activities around the square. It is built on an elevated bridge structure above the Bergen Hill Cut
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:...
, an 1834 railroad cut
Cut (earthmoving)
In civil engineering, a cut or cutting is where soil or rock material from a hill or mountain is cut out to make way for a canal, road or railway line....
once used by Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
main line and Jersey City Branch and now by the PATH
Port Authority Trans-Hudson
PATH, derived from Port Authority Trans-Hudson, is a rapid transit railroad linking Manhattan, New York City with Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City in metropolitan northern New Jersey...
rapid transit system and an occasional freight train. In front of the station is a statue of 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...
who in 1946 crossed the baseball color line
Baseball color line
The color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
at Roosevelt Stadium
Roosevelt Stadium
Roosevelt Stadium was a baseball park at Droyer's Point in Jersey City, New Jersey. It opened in April 1937 and hosted high-minor league baseball, seven major league baseball games, plus championship boxing matches, top-name musical acts, important regional high school football and even soccer...
.
A statue of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, the work of Jersey City native Archimedes Giacomontonio, has been located on the square since 1950. The Stanley
Stanley Theater (Jersey City)
The Stanley Theater is a theater venue near Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey.The theater opened to the public on March 22, 1928. Mayor Frank Hague attended the ceremonies that evening and, with the audience, was greeted on the screen by actress Norma Talmadge...
and the Loew's
Loew's Jersey Theater
The Loew's Jersey Theatre is a New Jersey Registered Historic Site in Jersey City, New Jersey of the United States of America. Opened in 1929, it was one of the five Loew's Wonder Theatres, a series of flagship Loew's movie palaces in the New York City area. It was designed by the architectural...
have both been restored, the first now an Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
, the latter used as a moviehouse and for other cultural events.
The campus of Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College is an accredited, co-educational, two-year, public, community college located in Hudson County, New Jersey.-Locations:...
is a collection of buildings throughout the district around the square. A few blocks to the south near McGinley Square
McGinley Square
McGinley Square is in Jersey City, New Jersey, located near the middle of the city, south of Journal Square. The square itself is at the intersection of two of the city's major thoroughfares, Montgomery Street , and Bergen Avenue .The area was named after Monsignor Roger...
, are Saint Peter's College
Saint Peter's College, New Jersey
Saint Peter's College is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic college in the United States. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, it was founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus. Today, Saint Peter's College is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, Hudson Catholic Regional High School
Hudson Catholic Regional High School
Hudson Catholic Regional High School is a regional four year co-educational University-preparatory school Catholic high school in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The school was established in 1964 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, and currently serves around 400...
, and the Jersey City Armory
Jersey City Armory
The Jersey City Armory is located at 678 Montgomery Street near McGinley Square in Jersey City, New Jersey. In addition to being a military training and mustering facility of the New Jersey National Guard , the WPA era armory has long been used as a sports arena, particularly for boxing,...
. A concentration of shops operated two of the city's ethnic groups, Overseas Filipino and Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
,, can be found along Newark Avenue
Newark Plank Road
The Newark Plank Road was a major 19th century artery between New Jersey's Hudson Waterfront and the burgeoning city of Newark, further inland across the New Jersey Meadows. As its name suggests, a plank road was constructed of wooden planks laid side-to-side on a roadbed. A charter to construct...
and near India Square
India Square
India Square also called Little India or Little Bombay is a neighborhood in Jersey City, New Jersey. The neighborhood is centered around Newark Avenue between Tonnelle Avenue and JFK Boulevard, and is considered to be part of the larger Journal Square district...
to the north.
Northeast of Journal Square is Five Corners
Five Corners, Jersey City
Five Corners is at the intersection of Summit Avenue, Newark Avenue and Hoboken Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey and is a northeastern part of the larger Journal Square district...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
. The Hudson County Courthouse
Hudson County Courthouse
The Hudson County Courthouse or Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Courthouse is located in Jersey City, New Jersey. The six-story structure was originally built between 1906 and 1910 at a cost of $3,328,016.56...
, located at 583 Newark Avenue 40°43′55"N 74°3′25"W, and the adjacent Hudson County Administration Building, at 595 Newark Avenue, are home to the county's courts and a number of county agencies and departments. The Five Corners Branch of the Jersey City Public Library is sited on the intersection itself, while William L. Dickinson High School
William L. Dickinson High School
William L. Dickinson High School is a four-year public high school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, as part of the Jersey City Public Schools...
is located nearby at 2 Palisade Avenue
Palisade Avenue (Hudson Palisades)
Palisade Avenue is the name given to a historic road which parallels the eastern crest of Hudson Palisades in northeastern New Jersey. It travels between in Jersey City and Fort Lee, passing through Jersey City Heights, North Hudson, and Cliffside Park, various parts carrying Hudson and Bergen...
.
Future
Many of the buildings in Journal Square include housing stock (such as brownstoneBrownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
s, pre war apartment buildings, frame houses), convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
s, bodega
Bodega
Bodega is a Spanish word that may refer to:* a winery, wine cellar or wine bar* a convenience store specializing in Hispanic groceriesPlaces:* Bodega, California, town in Sonoma County, California...
s, downscale franchises, that Jerremiah Healy, Mayor of Jersey City, has referred to as "ugly old eyesores." The redevelopment of Journal Square has attracted the interest of urban planners, architects, sociologists, and others, many who view its historical, current, and future use as an important indicator of the contemporary understanding of how cities function.
As of 2008 there were proposals to build a complex called 1 Journal Square
1 Journal Square
1 Journal Square is an approved apartment complex at Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey. It will consists of two skyscraper that will have 1,615 units on top a 7 story base with of retail space and 680 parking spaces. The buildings were designed by Becker + Becker Associates and are being...
which would combine rental housing, multi-story retail and parking. Plans for the mixed-use development
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
call for 68 story and 50 story residential towers above a 7-story retail and parking base with a rooftop terrace. While the site has been cleared construction has not begun.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey
- New Jersey Transit Bus OperationsNew Jersey Transit Bus OperationsNew Jersey Transit Bus Operations is the bus division of New Jersey Transit, providing bus service throughout New Jersey along with service along one light rail line, with many routes going to New York City and Philadelphia.-History:...
- List of neighborhoods in Jersey City, New Jersey
