Jersey City Free Public Library

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Jersey City Free Public Library
Jersey Free Public Library logo 2023.png
Jersey City Free Public Library
40°43′08″N74°02′51″W / 40.718948°N 74.047406°W / 40.718948; -74.047406
Location Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Established1889
Branches10
Other information
Website jclibrary.org

The Jersey City Free Public Library (JCFPL) is the municipal library system of Jersey City, New Jersey, serving the residents of Hudson County. The library was established in 1889, opened in 1891, and had its first dedicated building, the main library, by 1901. Numerous branches have since opened and as of 2023 there are nine throughout the city as well as a bookmobile. [1] [2] It has over a million physical and digital items its collection, [2] making it the largest library system in the state. [3]

Contents

Founding

JCFPL was housed in the Provident Bank and Hudson National Bank on Washington Street before construction of the new library Provident&HudsonNationalBanksJerseyCity.png
JCFPL was housed in the Provident Bank and Hudson National Bank on Washington Street before construction of the new library

The New Jersey Legislature passed a law in 1884 for the establishment free public libraries when approved by local referendum. On April 9, 1889, after two earlier attempts, citizens of Jersey City voted for the provision (15,304 to 345) after which Mayor Orestes Cleveland appointed a board of trustees. [4]

Dr. Leonard J. Gordon (1844–1905), for whom Dr. Leonard J. Gordon Park is named, [5] [6] was director of the library trustee board and a driving force in its creation. Despite the state mandate to fund public libraries the city resisted appropriating the resources; he took the matter to court, where the case was easily won. [4]

The city's first public library opened on June 1, 1891, on Washington Street at the Provident Bank with a reading room in the adjacent Hudson National Bank . [4] Over 4,000 volumes from the city's high school were incorporated into the original collection of about 15,000 books. [7]

Priscilla Gardner Main Library

The Main Library, a four-story Renaissance Revival granite building, is located on Jersey Avenue at Montomgery and Mercer in Historic Downtown. [8] [9] It is a contributing property to the state and federal Van Vorst Park historic district. [10]

Following a design competition, the architectural firm of James Brite and Henry Bacon was selected and on August 16, 1899, the cornerstone was laid. [11] It was first opened to the public on January 14, 1901. [12] [4] It began with 15,515 books in its collection. [2] An addition was added to the rear of the building in 1926. [13]

In addition to the main library, the building houses the New Jersey Room, a section dedicated to historical documents about New Jersey, with a focus on Hudson County and Jersey City. The room was created in 1964 to merge the collections of William H. Richardson and the Hudson County Historical Society with the material the library already possessed. [14] The New Jersey Room holds over 20,000 volumes, in addition to historical maps and periodicals. [15] [16] Biblioteca Criolla, the system's Spanish language library, originally opened on Newark Avenue in 1972 but was incorporated into the main library in 2010. [13] [2] The building was also home to the Jersey City Museum until it was relocated in 2001. [17]

An ongoing phased renovation and modernization of the building began in 2014, [18] during which parts of the building were closed. [19]

In 2019 the Main Library was dedicated to Priscilla Gardner, who had worked for 50 years for JCFPL. She started as a junior library assistant at the since-closed Claremont Branch in 1969, worked for 30 years at the Miller Branch, and became director in 2002. [20]

Branches

In addition to the main library, there are nine branches throughout the city. Since 2021 there has been discussion to open a new Communipaw Branch. [21]

NameImageYear
(established, built)		NeighborhoodNotes
Heights Branch JCFPL Heights Branch.jpg 1911, 1917 The Heights Originally called the Hudson City Branch (for the former municipality) it was housed on the second floor of building on Central Avenue until current facility was constructed. [13] [11] [22]
Miller Branch Edmund Miller JCPL 489 Bergen Av jeh.JPG 1915, 1921 Bergen Section [20] Originally located on Jackson Avenue the current building was designed by Arthur Frederik Adams following a competition. [23] Formerly known as the Bergen Branch, [13] renamed for Edmund W. Miller who started working at JCFPL in 1895 and was head librarian from 1915 until his retirement in 1954. [24]
Earl A. Morgan Branch Greenville Library n museum 1841 JFKB jeh.jpg 1916, 1926 Greenville Designed by architect Alfred S. Gottlieb. [25] Formerly the Greenville Branch renamed for Jersey Journal journalist in 2019. [26] Houses the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Society Museum [27]
Lafayette Branch JCFPL Lafayette Branch.jpg 1924 Communipaw-Lafayette Temporarily closed for renovations [28] [29]
Pavonia Branch Pavonia JCFPL jeh.jpg 1924–1970, 1989 Hamilton Park Named after the 1630 European settlement of Jersey City, Pavonia. The library's building was demolished in 1971, after which it was located in a module building which was sporadically open. [30] [31]
Marion Branch JCFPL Marion Branch.jpg 1930 Marion Section
Glenn D. Cunningham Branch JCFPL Glenn D Cunningham Branch.jpg 1954, 2004 Jackson Hill [20] The Claremont Branch was a storefront library opened February 11, 1954, at the corner of Claremont and Ocean. It succumbed to fire in 1982(~), after which a new facility was created at 291 MLK Drive. It was replaced with new building named for Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham [32]
Five Corners Branch FiveCornersBranchJerseyCityPublicLibrary.JPG 1962 Five Corners [11]
West Bergen Branch JCFPL West Bergen Branch.jpg 1971, 1988 West Side Originally located at 503 West Side Avenue, it relocated in 1988 to 476 West Side Avenue and underwent renovations in 2015. [13]

Former branches

NameImageYear
(established, built)		NeighborhoodNotes
Biblioteca Criolla1972–2010Newark Avenue
Downtown 		Consolidated into Main Library [13]
Pearsall Branch1982–2010 Greenville Located in what had once been the Grace Episcopal Church Sunday School at Ocean and Pearsall; [33] closed due budget cuts, low usership, and state of disrepair. [34] [35] [36]

Hudson County libraries

Related Research Articles

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Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark. It is the county seat of Hudson County, and is the county's most populous city and its largest. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 292,449, an increase of 44,852 (+18.1%) from the 2010 census count of 247,597, in turn an increase of 7,542 (+3.1%) from the 240,055 enumerated at the 2000 census. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 286,670 in 2022, ranking the city the 74th-most-populous in the country.

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New Jersey City University (NJCU) is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally chartered in 1927, NJCU consists of the School of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, and College of Professional Studies and is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. In 2022, it announced that it was severely reducing its academic offerings due to a budgetary crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulus Hook</span> Neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.

Paulus Hook is a community on the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City, New Jersey. It is located one mile across the river from Manhattan. The name Hook comes from the Dutch word "hoeck", which translates to "point of land." This "point of land" has been described as an elevated area, the location of which today is bounded by Montgomery, Hudson, Dudley, and Van Vorst Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenville, Jersey City</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afro-American Historical and Cultural Society Museum</span> African-American museum in Jersey City, New Jersey

The Afro-American Historical and Cultural Society Museum is located is on the upper floor of the Greenville Branch of the Jersey City, New Jersey Public Library, its collection is dedicated to the African American experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Heights, Jersey City</span> District of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayfront, Jersey City</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey City Museum</span> Former art museum in New Jersey, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yonkers Public Library</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Wagenen House</span> Historic house in New Jersey, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Church Van Vorst</span> Historic church in New Jersey, United States

The Grace Church Van Vorst, is located in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1979. The church was built in 1853 and was named after the former Van Vorst Township. The church is an English Gothic-style Episcopal church which was designed by Detlef Lienau. The building is constructed with brownstone and has a slate roof. The church was expanded in 1864 with the addition of two bays to the west and a baptistry added midway on the south side of the building. The 57-foot high square tower was added in 1912. Adjacent to the church is a rectory that was also designed by Lienau in a similar style to the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harsimus</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

Harsimus is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment on the north to Christopher Columbus Drive on the south between Coles Street and Grove Street or more broadly, to Marin Boulevard. It borders the neighborhoods of Hamilton Park to the north, Van Vorst Park to the south, the Village to the west, and the Powerhouse Arts District to the east. Newark Avenue has traditionally been its main street. The name is from the Lenape, used by the Hackensack Indians who inhabited the region and could be translated as Crow's Marsh. From many years, the neighborhood was part of the "Horseshoe", a political delineation created by its position between the converging rail lines and political gerrymandering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Vorst Park</span> Populated place in Essex County, New Jersey, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergen Section, Jersey City</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

The Bergen Section of Jersey City, New Jersey is the neighborhood on either side of Kennedy Boulevard between Saint Peter's College/ McGinley Square and Communipaw Avenue in the Bergen-Lafayette section of the city. The name Bergen, used throughout Hudson County, is taken from the original Bergen, New Netherland settlement at Bergen Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Hill, Jersey City</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

Jackson Hill is a neighborhood in the Bergen-Lafayette and Greenville sections of Jersey City, New Jersey. It is part of the city's Ward F. The neighborhood is situated on Bergen Hill which also lends its name to the Bergen Hill Historic District just north of Communipaw Avenue.

The following is a timeline of the history of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States.

<i>Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial</i> (Jersey City)

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. at the Martin Luther King Drive station of the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail in the Jackson Hill section of Jersey City, New Jersey.

References

  1. ↑ "LibGuides: Public Libraries of CT, NJ & NY: Jersey City Free Public Library System". libguides.nyit.edu. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "About - Jersey City Free Public Library" . Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Corter, Jamie (February 17, 2021). "Jersey City Free Public Library Redefines the Role of a Community Library" . Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Jersey City Free Public Library". njcu.libguides.com. New Jersey City University . Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  5. ↑ "The 23 Hudson County people you need to know about from 1867-2017". The Jersey Journal. May 2, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Leonard J. Gordon" (PDF). The New York Times. January 18, 1905. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Opening To-day of the Jersey City Public Library". The New York Times. 1891-06-01. p. 8. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Free Library". The Jersey City News. July 22, 1898. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Jersey City Library to Reopen Monday". The New York Times. January 11, 1901. p. 9. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  10. ↑ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Hudson County". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 "Jersey City Online - Jersey City Free Public Library". www.jerseycityonline.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  12. ↑ "State' Libraries". The Jersey Journal. 1900-12-01. p. 6. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Benedict, Peter (12 May 1989). "Library is celebrating its centennial". The Jersey Journal. p. 17. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "New Jersey Room". jclibrary.org. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "New Jersey Room - Resources for Local History". JCFPL Guides. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  16. ↑ Griesbach, Sarah. "The NJ Room at the JC Public Library is a Hidden History-Filled Gem". The Hoboken Girl. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "Library Guides: Jersey City Museum: Jersey City Museum". njcu.libguides.com. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "JC Library Renovation Project Expand Community Resources". www.jerseycitynj.gov. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  19. ↑ Zeitlinger, Ron (January 14, 2015). "Jersey City Main Library departments to remain closed during renovations". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 Rosario, Joshua (September 10, 2019). "Jersey City library director's 50-year career to be capped with special tribute". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ Sullivan, Al (March 24, 2024). "New Branch of Jersey City Public Library System to Focus on STEAM Learning". TAPinto. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Our Neighborhood". Central Avenue S.I.D. Management Corporation, Jersey City, NJ. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  23. ↑ Phelps, Albert C. (January 1921). "New Bergen Branch Library Building Jersey City" (PDF). Architecture. XLIII (1): 6. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Edmund W. Miller - Mr. Jersey City Public Library". The Jersey Journal. July 5, 1963. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Albert S. Gottlieb; Retired Architect, in Practice Here for 40 Years, Dies at 71". The New York Times. January 15, 1942. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  26. ↑ McDonald, Terrence T. (October 4, 2018). "Library renamed for late Jersey Journal reporter Earl Morgan". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  27. ↑ "Afro-American Historical Society Museum". cityofjerseycity.org. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "JCLibrary - Lafayette Branch". jclibrary.org. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  29. ↑ "Jersey City Free Public Library twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  30. ↑ "Pavonia Library's new site may be a few blocks". The Jersey Journal. June 7, 1974. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  31. ↑ "Library closing". The Jersey Journal. October 14, 1987. p. 15. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "Glenn D. Cunningham Branch". Jersey City Free Public Library. Archived from the original on 2014-08-26. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  33. ↑ Phase 2 Study of Ward 5 Jersey City (Report). Mary B. Dierickx Architectural Preservation Consultants. May 1986.
  34. ↑ Hayes, Melissa (February 12, 2010). "Pearsall library to stop serving Jersey City residents". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  35. ↑ "Pearsall Branch Library -- Jersey City Public Library". librarytechnology.org. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  36. ↑ "Jersey City Library Closing Pearsall Branch, Cutting Hours at Main Branch". Jersey City Independent via HuffPost. April 13, 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
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