Jersey City Museum
350 Montgomery Street at Monmouth Street
Historic District

This new cultural center opened to the community on September 19, 2001. The cream-colored brick building, a former post office warehouse circa 1929, was renovated for $6.5 million. Designed by architect Charles Gifford of Meyer & Gifford of New York, the interior offers an attractive modern space enhanced by a skylight lobby. The museum holds a collection of 20,000 pieces. It has eight galleries, a 152-seat theater, gift shop, and cafe.

The Jersey City Museum dates back to 1901, when it was located on the fourth floor of the Jersey City Free Public Library on Jersey Avenue. It remained under the aegis of the Library until 1987, when the Museum Association initiated efforts for the founding of a separate institution. In 1993, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency donated the building at 350 Montgomery Street. The mission of the museum is to serve the community by "maintaining, preserving, and interpreting the region's cultural heritage."

The opening of the museum featured two exhibits, "Ben Shahn and the Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti" and "Catalina Parra: It's Indisputable" as well as "Highlights from the Permanent Collection." The Shahn exhibit included sixteen of his original works displayed in 1932 at the Downtown Art Gallery in New York City. A Lithuanian immigrant, Shahn (1898-1969) lived for a time in New Jersey. The Parra exhibit was a presentation of fifty collages in five series by the Chilean-born artist. Among the works featured in the permanent collection were those of local artist August Will (1834-1916), whose paintings captured views of Jersey City at the turn of the twentieth century.

Reference:
Jersey City Museum's Website http://www.jerseycitymuseum.org

By C.A. Karnoutsos
Edited by P. Shalhoub