National Register of Historic Places

Van Vorst Park Historic District (Boundary Increase)

Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey
Listed
October 10, 1984
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
84000084

About this property

Van Vorst Park is a neighborhood in the Historic Downtown of Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, centered on a park sharing the same name. The neighborhood is located west of Paulus Hook and Marin Boulevard, north of Grand Street, east of the Turnpike Extension, and south of The Village and Christopher Columbus Drive. Much of it is included in the Van Vorst Park Historical District. The park was a centerpiece of Van Vorst Township, a township that existed in Hudson County from 1841 to 1851. Van Vorst was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 12, 1841, from portions of Bergen Township. On March 18, 1851, Van Vorst Township was annexed by Jersey City. The name Van Vorst comes from a prominent family in the area, the first of which arrived in the 1630s as superintendent of the patroonship Pavonia, the earliest European settlement on the west bank of the Hudson River in the province of New Netherland. His homestead at Harsimus, plus others at Communipaw, Paulus Hook, Minakwa, Pamrapo were later incorporated into Bergen. His namesake and eighth generation descendant, Cornelius Van Vorst, was the twelfth Mayor of Jersey City serving from 1860 to 1862. Like Harsimus Cove and Hamilton Park to the north and Bergen-Lafayette to the southwest, the neighborhood contains nineteenth century rowhouses and brownstones. It is home to the Jersey City Free Public Library, James J. Ferris High School (named for the Jersey City citizen who laid the foundation of the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse with his firm Stillman, Delehanty and Ferris), and Old Colony Shopping Plaza. Landmarks include Barrow Mansion and Dixon Mills. The Grove Street PATH station is located nearby to the north, and so is the Jersey Avenue (HBLR station) to the south.

Location

Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey
40.71883, -74.04851

Categories

INDUSTRYARCHITECTURERELIGION
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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This page lists Van Vorst Park Historic District (Boundary Increase). A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Van Vorst Park Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Barrow, Dr. William, Mansion
Industrial
0.1 mi
Grace Church Van Vorst
Industrial
0.3 mi
Harsimus Cove Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
Paulus Hook Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Raid on Paulus Hook (1779)
1779Revolutionary War
0.7 mi
Battle of Paulus Hook
1779Revolutionary War
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Van Vorst Park Historic District (Boundary Increase) listed on the National Register?

Van Vorst Park Historic District (Boundary Increase) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 10, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Van Vorst Park Historic District (Boundary Increase)?

Van Vorst Park Historic District (Boundary Increase) is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Van Vorst Park Historic District (Boundary Increase)?

The period of significance for Van Vorst Park Historic District (Boundary Increase) is recorded as the listed era.

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