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| Early
twentieth century postcard of the Fourth Regiment Armory. View looking southeast from the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Mercer Street. Courtesy, Jersey City Free Public Library. |
Early
twentieth century postcard of the Fourth Regiment Armory. |
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| Late
nineteenth century photograph of the Tuers Homestead which once stood near
Bergen Avenue and Montgomery Street. The photograph was labeled "Wheelihan
House on the Armory Site: August 1893. Courtesy: Jennifer Wiggins |
Hudson
Catholic High School |
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| A
remnant of the Fourth Regiment Armory was saved and reconstructed in Pershing
Field near Summit Avenue approximately one mile north of its original location. Photo: P. Shalhoub, 2002 |
Early
twentieth century postcard of the Fourth Regiment Armory. View looking
southeast from the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Mercer Street. Courtesy,
RF Smith |
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The Fourth Regiment Armory was at Bergen Avenue, Mercer Street and Tuers Avenue south of Journal Square. The cornerstone for the massive structure was laid on December 20, 1893, on the former Tuers farm property; it was completed in 1895. The impetus for its construction was the need to build a facility for the newly established Fourth Regiment of the New Jersey National Guard. It reflected the Richardson Romanesque architecture adopted at the end of the nineteenth century and named for the architect-engineer Henry Hobson Richardson (1832-1886). The medieval-style Romanesque revival structure combined the aesthetics and technology of the time and was selected for commercial, industrial and educational institutions. The building displayed the traditional arch rusticated masonry and lookout towers. In 1927, a three-alarm fire destroyed the armory. The New York Times describes the fire as a challenge for the fire department: "The entire interior was nearly a solid mass of flames, the flooring, balconies and wooden girders burning like tinder. The construction of the building made it almost impossible for firemen to get at the flames as the few windows in the stone building are barred by stout iron grill work and the three doors leading into the armory were belching flame." The fire seemed to have started in the basement and ignited the wood paneling causing the building's destruction. Hudson Catholic High has occupied the location since 1965. Reference: "Great Fire Sweeps
Jersey City Armory." New York Times 17 June 1927. |
| By: Carmela Karnoutsos Project Administrator: Patrick Shalhoub |
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