Gregory Costa Building, 416 Main Street – Metuchen, New Jersey
Gregory Costa
The 1915 Census of the State of New Jersey shows Gregory Costa, his wife, two sons, and a maid living at 416 Main Street. They were all born in Italy. Costa’s occupation was confectioner. Costa had paid $2,000 for the lot which was the largest price ever paid for a lot with 25 foot of frontage in the Borough.
He proceed to build a modern and richly furnished ice cream parlor. Cost for the building was $7,000 and fixtures another $3,000.[1] In 1916 Gregory Costa appealed the assessment of $7,500 and had it reduced to $6,500.[2]
September 15, 1933
As their business expanded and grew, Costa added to his real estate holdings. This included a house at the end of Ocean Avenue in Point Pleasant that his family used in the summers,[3] and a $20,000 mansion he had built in Miami Beach, Florida.
February 8, 1941
In 1940 Gregory Costa listed his address in Metuchen at 401 Main Street.[4] He had a new single family house built at 10 Southfield Road near the Metuchen Country Club in the early 1940s.[5] Their production facility was at 16 Pearl Street[6] from 1923 until the 1940s when the moved to a new custom built location in Woodbridge.[7] Gregory’s son Joseph Costa would go on to become Mayor of Metuchen.[8] Costa Ice Cream Company closed their doors on August 20, 1976 and the business was sold to new owners.[9]
ArteVino
Terrace Plant Shop
Historical Maps
1876 Atlas shows nothing on the block between the Pennsylvania Railroad and Union Street (later Hillside Ave)
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1903, Sheet 2. Shows vacant lot at future 416 Main Street.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1910, Sheet 2. Shows vacant lot at future 416 Main St.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1920, Sheet 2. First time building appears at 416 Main Street.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1929, Sheet 2. Two-story building at 416 Main Street.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1949, Sheet 2. Two-story building at 416 Main Street.
Chain of Title for 416 Main St, Metuchen
Block 121, Lot 9
| Year | Activity | Source |
| 1891 | Estate of Ellis F. Ayres | Map of 94 Building Lots, the Estate of Ellis P. Ayers, Metuchen, N.J., 1891 |
| 1906, February 8 | Charles and Clara Frank to Frederick C. Frank | Book 377, Page 502 |
| 1923, July 30 | Oscar Frank to Gregory Costa | Book 750, Page 231 |
| 1923, July 30 | Frederick C. Frank to Gregory Costa | Book 750, Page 229 |
| 1923, September 25 | Gregory and Matilda (wife) to Frank Costa | Book 758, Page 149 |
| 1925, January 6 | Frank Costa, et. ux., to Gregory Costa | Book 797, Page 5 |
[1] Metuchen, Perth Amboy Evening News, September 14, 1914, p. 5.
[2] Metuchen Appeals, The Daily Home News, January 18, 1916, p. 6.
[3] Beach Combing, The Daily Home News, July 10, 1938, p. 13.
[4] Residential Building Contracts Hit $64,000 for Past Two Weeks, The Sunday Times, July 14, 1940, p. 14.
[5] New Home in Raritan Township, The Courier-News, February 8, 1941, p. 11.
[6] Truck Company Buys 2.3 Acre Metuchen Site, The Sunday Times, July 20, 1947, p. 17.
[7] Popsicle Paradise Produces Plenty of Pops for Populace, The Sunday Times, July 31, 1949, p. 2.
[8] Nearly 300 Attend Testimonial Dinner Honoring Joseph Costa, The Daily Home News, September 27, 1950, p. 8.
[9] New day for Costa, The Courier-News, January 27, 1977, p. 53.