Barrow Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Dr. William Barrow Mansion, is located in Downtown
Jersey City
, New Jersey
.The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on May 2, 1977 and is located within the Van Vorst Park Historic District, which itself was dedicated on March 5, 1980 and is roughly bounded by Railroad Ave., and Henderson, Grand, Bright, and Monmouth Sts.
40°43′7″N 74°2′50″W
The house was one of two similar homes constructed by Cornelius Van Vorst
, a founder of the Township of Van Vorst
and mayor of Jersey City from 1860 to 1862. The Van Vorsts were a prominent family who trace their North American roots to the third superintendent of the patroonship Pavonia
, whose bowery
was located at nearby Harsimus
. The family lends it name to the nearby Van Vorst Park
which was part of the township.
Built between 1835–1837, and also known as the Ionic House, the wooden Greek Revival structure has five Ionic columns gracing a two-story portico. The columns divide the building into four equal bays, effecting an offset center hall. As the columns are evenly spaced, the front door is not in the center, but set off to the right The interior of late Federal-early Greek Revival style with some Victorian décor features a ballroom, carved Italian marble fireplaces and twelve-foot ceilings.
The mansion stood alongside the Van Vorst Mansion, separated only by a lawn, and near the Van Vorst family farmhouse. In 1874 Van Vorst sold his home to Dr. Benjamin Edge and it was later demolished in the 1920s.
The Y.M.C.A. bought the Barrow Mansion in the 1890s, adding a rifle range and gymasium. St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church purchased the residence in 1897 and used it as a parish house. The pistol range was converted to a two-lane bowling alley in the basement. The following year St. Matthew's Church was built on the lawn between the Barrow and Van Vorst mansions. The church flourished until the 1920s and the former mansion and parish house became a lively and popular social center.
As the neighborhood changed in the post-war era, the mansion fell into disrepair. In 1984 the Barrow Mansion Development Corporation was founded to renovate the mansion and operate it as a center for community service. The BMDC's board is composed of members from St. Matthew's Lutheran Church and the wider community. The BMDC leases the mansion from church, and received grants in 1992 and 1995 from the New Jersey Historic Trust and other grantors for building restoration. The mansion currently provides office space to small businesses and non-profits, is home to the Attic Ensemble theater company, Jersey City Children's Theater and is host to Hudson County's largest number of Twelve Step groups and other community meetings (over 1100 in 2010).
Downtown Jersey City
Downtown is an area of Jersey City, New Jersey that includes the Historic Downtown and the Waterfront. Historic Downtown can be further broken down into the neighborhoods of Harsimus Cove, The Village, Van Vorst Park, Grove Street, Hamilton Park and Boyle Plaza...
Jersey City
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...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 2, 1977 and is located within the Van Vorst Park Historic District, which itself was dedicated on March 5, 1980 and is roughly bounded by Railroad Ave., and Henderson, Grand, Bright, and Monmouth Sts.
40°43′7″N 74°2′50″W
The house was one of two similar homes constructed by Cornelius Van Vorst
Cornelius Van Vorst
Cornelius Van Vorst was the twelfth Mayor of Jersey City serving from 1860 to 1862. He was the namesake and eighth generation descendant of the 17th century Superintendent of the Pavonia Colony.-Biography:...
, a founder of the Township of Van Vorst
Van Vorst Township, New Jersey
Van Vorst was a township that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, from 1841 to 1851. It was on the Hudson River, immediately south of downtown Jersey City and across from Manhattan....
and mayor of Jersey City from 1860 to 1862. The Van Vorsts were a prominent family who trace their North American roots to the third superintendent of the patroonship Pavonia
Pavonia, New Netherland
Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland in what would become today's Hudson County, New Jersey.-Hudson and the Hackensack:...
, whose bowery
Homestead (buildings)
A homestead is either a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding, such as a ranch, station or a large agricultural operation of some other designation.-See also:* Farm house* Homestead Act...
was located at nearby Harsimus
Harsimus
Harsimus is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment in the north to Christopher Columbus Drive in the south between Coles Street and Grove Street or more broadly, to Marin Boulevard...
. The family lends it name to the nearby Van Vorst Park
Van Vorst Park
Van Vorst Park is neighborhood in Historic Downtown in Jersey City, centered around 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...
which was part of the township.
Built between 1835–1837, and also known as the Ionic House, the wooden Greek Revival structure has five Ionic columns gracing a two-story portico. The columns divide the building into four equal bays, effecting an offset center hall. As the columns are evenly spaced, the front door is not in the center, but set off to the right The interior of late Federal-early Greek Revival style with some Victorian décor features a ballroom, carved Italian marble fireplaces and twelve-foot ceilings.
The mansion stood alongside the Van Vorst Mansion, separated only by a lawn, and near the Van Vorst family farmhouse. In 1874 Van Vorst sold his home to Dr. Benjamin Edge and it was later demolished in the 1920s.
The Y.M.C.A. bought the Barrow Mansion in the 1890s, adding a rifle range and gymasium. St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church purchased the residence in 1897 and used it as a parish house. The pistol range was converted to a two-lane bowling alley in the basement. The following year St. Matthew's Church was built on the lawn between the Barrow and Van Vorst mansions. The church flourished until the 1920s and the former mansion and parish house became a lively and popular social center.
As the neighborhood changed in the post-war era, the mansion fell into disrepair. In 1984 the Barrow Mansion Development Corporation was founded to renovate the mansion and operate it as a center for community service. The BMDC's board is composed of members from St. Matthew's Lutheran Church and the wider community. The BMDC leases the mansion from church, and received grants in 1992 and 1995 from the New Jersey Historic Trust and other grantors for building restoration. The mansion currently provides office space to small businesses and non-profits, is home to the Attic Ensemble theater company, Jersey City Children's Theater and is host to Hudson County's largest number of Twelve Step groups and other community meetings (over 1100 in 2010).
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey
- New Jersey Register of Historic PlacesNew Jersey Register of Historic PlacesThe New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the Historic Preservation Office of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.The register was...
External links
- View of Barrow Mansion via Google Street ViewGoogle Street ViewGoogle Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from various positions along many streets in the world...