New Jersey Hudson 017 See Continuation COUNTY

Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE New Jersey COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Hudson INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

(Type all entries — complete applicable sections)

COMMON: HUDSON COUNTY COURT HOUSE AND/OR HISTORIC:

STREET AND NUMBER: Newark Avenue CITY OR TOWN: Jersey City -' CODE $9 Hudson 017

CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE to ,_. , n OWNERSHIP STATUS (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC

District {€] Building IS Public Public Acquisition: D Occupied Yes: r^i it .1 ["I Restricted Site Q Structure D Private || In Process [X] Unoccupied 1— J D Botrl d Unrestricted n Object pC] Being Considered Ui— IDPreservation .. worki see continuation in progress S No.

U PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate)

1 1 Agricultural [~1 Government | | Pork [ I Transportation 1 1 Comments G£ Q Commercial D Industrial Q Private Residence H Other (Specify) G Educational CD Mi itary Q Religious abandoned 1 1 Museum co 1 1 Entertainment | | Scientific

OWNER'S NAME: Hudson County Board of Freeholders UJ STREET AND NUMBER: n CH in COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING CD CO CITY OR TOWN: STATE: CO (D Jersey City New Jersey 29

COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: Hudson County Courthouse I?Q. z STREET AND NUMBER: COo H Newark Avenue 3 CITY OR TOWN:

Jersey City New Jersey 29

TITLE OF SURVEY: Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory \ DATE OF SURVEY: October 30, 1968 Federal State County fj Local DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Library of Congress STREET AND NUMBER:

CITY OR TOWN: Washington, D. C. District of Columbia (Check One) Excellent D Good Fair 9 Deteriorated O Ruins [~] Unexposed CONDITION (Check One) fCftec* One.)

Altered £] Unaltered Moved £] Original Site

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL. APPEARANCE building 3 basement. The exterior is of fine Maine grcmite: its generd style, modern renaissance. On the front the great Corinthian pillarsjpF tfie facade stgndJiee; on the side they are engaged and in the rear they are replaced by pilasters. The carved ornament is concentrated above the entrances, in the base, in the corners and in the cresting. The main entrance is on Newark Avenue: A wide granite approach to three main doorways, great bronze lanterns hang immediately inside each entrance. Above the frieze between the columns are these inscriptions: "Justice seeks no praise and bears no blame", "Precedent makes law, if you stand well, stand still" and "To delay justice is to deny justice" The interjpr is of peaTL^ctyjnaj^Je, and the first floor comprises a great court, with staircases on either side of the main entrance. Through the ceiling opens the great central well through which one looks up into the rotunda, (the vast size of which is al most reminiscent of one of the baths or rmperial Rome) opening through all floors and coyerei.by^ £rj^^ A wide central well opens in the floor to light the court below. Eight great iomcjcolumns of higjilyjpolished green-veinec cippolina marble pass through a mezzanine gallery with breeze railings to support the entablature and upper corridors. FoiirJLgrge_grches above the third floor level, resting on white marble comer piers, support the great dome. The railing of the central well and of the upper corridors is of grey marble, as is the wainscoting which surrounds every floor and corridor. The interior is particularly notable, however, for the murals painted by renewed artists, as follows; Frnnlr IX-MiU^k^upervised decorations at 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, pictorial re- porter New York Herald, London Daily News. Paintings -Royal British Custon House, Cleveland Trust Company. Director of American Academy in Rome. Executed two semi circular murals in top floor of Courthouse depicting Henry Hudson~ & the purchase of

Millet's assistant at Chicago Fair. Paintings in Metropolitan Museum murals in Baltimore Courthouse, Dewitt Clinton High School & the old Waldorf Astaria Hotel . Painted two semicircular murals in top floor. Edwin Blashfidd: Murals in library of Congress, State Capitos in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D. C. painted four winged figures in pendentive of dome. Kenyan Cox; Appellate Court of New York, Iowa State Capitol, paintings in National Safrery , Gameg i e Institute, did murals on two lower balconies, ceiling lunettes in top f I oor . Howard Pyle: Illustrator of "History of American People", "One Hoss Shay", "Robin Hood", "Book of Pirates". Murals in Capitol of Minnesota. Executed four murals in Hudson County Freeholders' room in Hudson County Courthouse - his last work. PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) Q Pre-Columbian | D '6th Century Q 18th Century 20th Century Q 15th Century D 17th Century Q T9th Century

SPECIFIC DATEts) (If Applicable and Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or Afore as Appropriate)

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Hudson County Courthouse is significant for having been the seat of justice of Hudson County and a well known landmark for over 50 years. More important, however, it is the only monumental building left in Jersey City and contains a priceless heritage or murals painted by leading artists of the period of its comple- T 'onjEl?L9)^ T^1656 murals, together with the lavish use of bronze and marble form what is surely the finest interior in the city and state. K- ! T, I U

00 Z

LJJ LJ

CO David G. Lowe "Requiem for a Courthouse" American Heritage Magazine Oct. 1966 Illustrated article on murals in Courthouse in rare book room, Main Library, Jersey City R 071 EV2G May, 1917 page 12 ' // / "X Jersey Journal 7/1/10 Page 8 (microfilm) Article & photo "New Courthouse near Completic >n" Jersey Journal 3/12/12 pages 4 & 5 (microfilm) descriptions & illustrations of murals in Courthouse, by Mrs. Fanny Rowel 1 of National Arts Club. Scribner's Magazine R050 Ser.6 V5I/P253 illustrated article "Decorations in the Hudson C ounty Courthouse " by Frank D. Millet. Van Winkle "Histnrv nf th*» MumrlnnKtlac «f HnA^n r~,,«K, IAOH 1000 Vol 1 nnno 9H7

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY ' ) DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY _ OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES ————————— ————————————————————————— ———————————————————————— | CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW o o

NE ° ° 40° 43 ' 55 " 74° 03 28" SE ° ' " o' '''',- Yi op;

SW Q , : 0 APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 2

1LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES rn STATE: CODE COUNTY CODE ^-T~_^ m STATE: CODE COUNTY: A^'^sX^^?-'' ' ^• * / ""^X^\ CODE 21 STATE: CODE COUNTY: >C ' ^'^' *\P S • *• \ CODE /TV "^5* '-J ^:.^v,. Vfj\ tx> STATE: CODE COUNTY: |"!!i O'C/ JV^ ' ' • -/ 'j ~— 1 CODE H K:, "x ,^ /^'^" iiJ TO C NAME AND TITLE: \f" • "" ^" /''"^/ Theodore Conrad, President • \^V>>^_.,^\/ n H ( ORGANIZATION ^^^^sil^ ^>^'T E Citizen's Committeeto Save the Courthouse Dec, 1969 STREET AND NUMBER: O 248 Ogden Avenue z CITY OR TOWN: STATE CODE l/» Jersey City New Jersey U/^U/ 29

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As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law National Register. -. 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the, National Park Service. The recommended •~--^.... Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation level of significance of this nomination is: National Q State Q Local QTJ RUG 2 5 1970 Date

ATTEST:

Title Commissioner, Department of

Environmental Protection Keeper ofTh^Na ti onal Register //^ ^ AUG20 WO V Bate June 12, 1970 Date Form 10-300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE New Jersey NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY Hudson INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER (Continuation Sheet)

(Number all entries) ~ /. Hudson County Court House, Jersey City, N.J. Code: 29 3. Owned by the county government. Non-county public ownership being considered for use as a cultural and social center.

6. N.J. Historic Sites Inventory ,?l£97.10 State Historic Sites Section Department of Environmental Protection Box 11*20 Trenton, N.J. Code: 29 Form 10-301 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE (Dec. 1968) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE New Jersey NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY Hudson PROPERTY MAP FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY (Type all entries - attach to or enclose with map) EN^^YTNUNf^^N^ DAT^E £2^ • &'•'*} 9' &&&SP ^V/tt)^1

COMMON: Hudson County Court House A^7

STREET AND NUM BER: \ "^\ *''•'•''- ''' u Newark Avenue corner Baldwin Avenue V^r* ^

Z) CITY OR TOWN: \'. " Jersey City '- ^ STATE: CODE COUNTY: -orrCODE New Jersey zy Hudson •I^^^^^^^^^^IIIH souRCE:jracecj ^rom yse [)js|.rj cj. /^ap jssuec| by Division of Planning, Jersey City, N. J.

UJ SCALE: I " - 800' UJ DATE: November 24. 1969

TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. Property broundaries where required. 2. North arrow. 3. Latitude and longitude reference.