After the community lost a battle to save a prominent historical home in 2015, historic preservation has become a hot topic in Bayonne. But with only one official historic district and limited legal means to protect properties, preservationists are doing their best to ensure Bayonne’s history survives.
The Bayonne Historic Preservation Commission is the organization charged with designating historic properties and they have been doing so since the Historic Preservation Ordinance was established in 1999. Some of these properties are also listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
This past November, a third house, dubbed “Schuyler Row House”, was designated at 20 East 33rd Street. Neighboring 14 East 33rd Street and 16 East 33rd Street were previously designated. The home is named after Jacob Rutsen Schuyler, the first Bayonne City Council President. The Commission seeks to preserve only the facades of the row houses–homeowners may still update the interior–as the red-brick exterior is not typical of their time when most homes in Bayonne were being constructed of wood.
A designation from commission seeks to preserve only the facades of the row houses–homeowners may still update the interior–as the red-brick exterior is not typical of their time when most homes in Bayonne were being constructed of wood.
Another brick row house located at 43 West 33rd Street was designated in 2013 and registered as “The Isbills Row House” for Edmond Isbills, a developer and 50 year resident of Bayonne. Other local historical landmarks designated by the Bayonne Historic Preservation Commission include the Bayonne Public Library, the Veterans’ Museum/VFW Post, the “Abramson Clock” at 484 Broadway, and the Depestre-O’Brien-Zeik House.
Bayonne is a city rich with architectural history and a handful of sites are listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, including the Bayonne Community Museum (formerly the Bayonne Trust Company), the Chief John T. Brennan Fire Museum, the Dutch Reformed Church of Bergen Neck, and the Hale-Whitney Mansion.
The Bayonne Historic Preservation Committee is also hoping for a second district-wide historic designation. The first was the Stephen R. Gregg-Bayonne County Park Historic District and the Commission will know once the City Master Plan for this year is announced if a second historical district will be possible.
