A new architectural survey of West Orange suggests that seven landmarks could eligible for the National Register. These places range from expected ones, such as the Rosedale Cemetery where New Jersey Governor Charles Edison was buried, to unassuming ones that most people pass by without knowing their significance.
Brian Feeney, the chair of the township’s Historic Preservation Commission, said the study was commissioned through New Jersey’s Historic Preservation Office. The author was Hunter Research.
“These are very important documents,” Feeney said. “We need to understand our cultural resources in the township. Things change over time and we want to understand what’s there, what’s significant, what’s been changed by property owners.”
The buildings deemed potentially eligible for the National Register are Rosedale Cemetery, Fire Station 5, Groves Community Substation, the E.L. Congdon & Sons lumber yard, and the Montclair Riding Stables. The HPC already announced in 2024 that it would designate the stables.
One notable property mentioned in the study is the now-abandoned shop at 4 Ashland Street, once the home of Frank’s Luncheonette, a relic from the days when Thomas Edison’s factory across the street employed hundreds of workers who lived and socialized nearby.
Until the 1980s, owner Frank Burns cashed checks and sold sandwiches to Edison’s employees, and was a vital part of a neighborhood of Italian-American immigrants.
Another major finding in the study was the last Standard Oil Service Station remaining in New Jersey located at 25 Harrison Avenue, also considered eligible for the National Register.
“We don’t know how many were built in New Jersey, but we can assume a lot, especially in the northern industrial hub of the state,” Feeney said. “And the last one is sitting here in West Orange.”
The brand name Esso is often associated with the building. The name, in fact, comes from pronouncing the initials S.O., an abbreviation of Standard Oil, which owned the company during the time it was built.
The company often used a “cookie-cutter” design, Feeney said, meaning one architectural style was applied to most stations when they were built.
At the last HPC meeting, Feeney said he would dedicate time this year to landmarking properties, but because it requires permission from the owner, the process entails behind-the-scenes negotiations.
In the past decade, there has been a surge of new local landmark designations in West Orange. In 2021, four new buildings became protected, including Holy Episcopal Church. During Mayor Susan McCartney’s tenure, the Hecker Carriage House — shortly after it was named among Preservation New Jersey’s most endangered places — became a local landmark.
Since then, West Orange lost one of its most important homes, the Williams House, built in 1790. The loss helped raise awareness about the importance of designating properties.
In addition to listing the seven landmarks eligible for the National Register, the study also makes a case for creating a historic district downtown called the Edison Workers’ Housing Historic District. The last time a historian recommended this was in 2014. The latest study recommends expanding the boundaries of this district to include Frank’s Luncheonette, a row of old tenement buildings on Ashland Avenue, and Lafayette Park.
Feeney said it was less likely the township would pursue creating a historic district, than designating individual sites. “At this point there are no plans to establish new historic districts,” he said.
Mayor McCartney told our publication that she supports the idea of designating individual sites, and as a member of the Planning Board, she would have the chance to cast a vote in favor of landmarking them, if Feeney’s commission pursues that course.
“Anytime that they do a study or suggest we look into historic preservation, I think that’s very important,” McCartney said. “Hopefully this study will determine what we can and cannot designate, and if the owners are willing to do that, I would not hesitate to designate a site.”
