Barrow Mansion

	Dr. William Barrow Mansion
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
	New Jersey Register of Historic Places
	The Barrow Mansion in 2010
Location	83 Wayne Street, Jersey City, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°43′12″N 74°2′56″W / 40.72000°N 74.04889°W
Area	0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built	1835-1837
Architect	Van Vorst, Cornelius
Architectural style	Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.	77000872
NJRHP No.	1459
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 2, 1977
Designated NJRHP	December 20, 1976

The Dr. William Barrow Mansion is located at 83 Wayne Street between Barrow Street and Jersey Avenue in Downtown Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. 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 Avenue, and Henderson, Grand, Bright, and Monmouth Streets.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[3] 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 its name to the nearby Van Vorst Park which was part of the township. Cornelius Van Vorst's sister Eliza was married to Dr. William Barrow.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

The Y.M.C.A. bought the Barrow Mansion in the 1890s, adding a rifle range and gymnasium. 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.^{[citation needed]}

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,^[4] 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).^{[citation needed]}

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Hudson County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. July 7, 2009. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
^ Jersey City Past and Present, Barrow Mansion / Ionic House, Accessed November 28, 2008.
^ "Attic Ensemble in Jersey City to celebrate 40 years of educational, entertaining theater". September 22, 2011.
^ NJ State Register of Historic Places in Hudson County Archived July 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

External links

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[NJRHP-2] "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Hudson County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. July 7, 2009. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2009.

[3] Jersey City Past and Present, Barrow Mansion / Ionic House, Accessed November 28, 2008.

[4] "Attic Ensemble in Jersey City to celebrate 40 years of educational, entertaining theater". September 22, 2011.

[5] NJ State Register of Historic Places in Hudson County Archived July 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

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v t e National Register of Historic Places in Hudson County, New Jersey
Landmarks	Clark Thread Company Historic District Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Warehouse Holland Tunnel Statue of Liberty National Monument
Districts	Buildings at 1200–1206 Washington Street Hamilton Park Harsimus Cove Historic District The Beacon Jersey City Reservoir No. 3 Lembeck and Betz Eagle Brewing Company District Morris Canal Paulus Hook Historic District Van Vorst Park West Bergen-East Lincoln Park Historic District
Places of worship	Church of Our Lady of Grace Church of the Holy Innocents First Baptist Church First Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen Neck Grace Church Van Vorst Monastery and Church of Saint Michael the Archangel Old Bergen Church Saint Ann Roman Catholic Church and Rectory St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church St. Patrick's Parish and Buildings St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church United Synagogue of Hoboken
Houses	Dr. William Barrow Mansion Hale-Whitney Mansion Van Wagenen House
Buildings	Association of Exempt Firemen Building Bayonne Truck House No. 1 Bayonne Trust Company Engine Company No. 2 Engine Company No. 3 Engine Company No. 4 Engine Company No. 5 Engine Company No. 6 Engine House No. 3, Truck No. 2 Excelsior Engine Co. No. 2 Firehouse Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Terminal at Hoboken Fairmount Apartments Ficken's Warehouse Hackensack Water Company Complex Highland Hose No. 4 Hoboken City Hall Hoboken Free Public Library and Manual Training School Hoboken Land and Improvement Company Building Hook and Ladder No. 3 Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse Hudson County Courthouse Jefferson Trust Company Jersey City Central Railroad Terminal Jersey City High School Jersey City YMCA Keuffel and Esser Manufacturing Complex Labor Bank Building Loew's Jersey Theatre Morton Memorial Laboratory of Chemistry Pohlmann's Hall Edwin A. Stevens Hall William Hall Walker Gymnasium
Objects	Firemen's Monument
Structures	Dock Bridge Machigonne Pulaski Skyway Robbins Reef Light Station Route 1 Extension
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey

See also

References

External links