George Hanemann built a bakery to the west in 1915 by designs from Alexander Merchant.[1] . Nathan Robins The 1876 Everts & Stewart Map shows this land with identification as “Est. N.R.” This was designation as estate of Nathan Robins who died in. Captain Nathan Robins (1782-1858) was forebear of the family. His son, also by the name of Nathan
1876 Atlas shows nothing on the block between the Pennsylvania Railroad and Union Street (later Hillside Ave) 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
In 1873 Nathan Robins built the prominent three-story Robins Hall on Main Street that also bore his name. The first floor was used for business purposes, including the post office that was located here from 1877 to 1885. The second floor served a variety of functions at times as a community room, a theater, a ballroom, and as the public
Blame Vitruvius. In his treatise De Architectura around 27 BCE, the three elements critical to architecture were utilitas (function), firmitas (stability), and venustas (beauty). While so easy to articulate, in practice this harmony in buildings and places was and is so hard to achieve. Fast forward to Colonial America. Many prototypes for buildings and plans for cities hearkened back to
By Isaac D. Kremer To purchase: Means, Mary. Main Street’s Comeback: And How it Can Come Back Again. HammonWood Press. 2020. The story of the revival of historic downtowns across the US is inextricably tied to Mary Means. In her role as Field Director for the National Trust for Historic Preservation covering the vast Midwest region of 10 states, she
Portraits of Noah Brown and Lelia Anderson The origins of Noah Brown are not entirely clear, though a marriage record from 1888 gives a birthdate of 1860 in Amelia County, Virginia. Of interest in the same record is how his parents were listed as father “Johnson” and mother as “Betsy Ann Johnson.” Should this birth date be accurate, that means
Early drawing of Metuchen National Bank building at 406 Main Street, April 1911, likely by Aylin Pierson, architect.[1] Metuchen National Bank One must look to a neighboring building to find the roots of the Metuchen National Bank. After they received their charter in 1905 they opened in the Kellogg Building which also housed the Middlesex Water Company where they had
Old address 537-538 Main St. 1876 Atlas shows nothing on the block between the Pennsylvania Railroad and Union Street (later Hillside Ave) Voorhees Willroy Voorhees is shown living in Metuchen in the 1885 Census with his mother Julia, and siblings Julia and Benjamin.[1] Willroy Voorhees was proprietor of the South Side Market for several years. [2] The 1900 US Census
Portrait of Truman Tertius Pierson, ca. September 1909.[1] The building at 397 Main Street in Metuchen is tied with one of the most interesting figures in the early 20th century business and political history of Metuchen. Truman T. Pierson (1884-1967) was the oldest of three sons and four daughters of John Noble Pierson, a terra cotta modeler and architect, and
John Noble Pierson (1855-1930) was an accomplished terra cotta modeler and architect. He attended the Cooper Institute, the Boston school of Art and the Boston School of Sculpture. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston was founded in 1870 and initially located on the top floor of the Boston Athenaeum. In 1876 the museum moved into a Gothic Revival building