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Founded in 1980 as the C.A.S.E (Committee for the Absorption of Soviet Emigres) Museum of Russian Art, this museum features works by modern and contemporary Russian artists. The majority of the collection came from human rights activist Alexcander Glozer. During the 1980s and 1990s the museum began showing works by prominent Russian artists. Its reputation has grown and now holds a prominent position in the Russian art and cultural scene. The museum holds exhibitions, lectures and other events throughout the year. Hours are variable by current events and are published on the museum's website.

Museum of Russian Art (MORA)

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Start in the Powerhouse Arts District at its namesake and walk to Paulus Hook and Downtown. Historic buildings - vacant, lived in, worked in - plus museums & markers, with a view toward the NYC skyline.

The powerhouse for the Hudson &amp; Manhattan Railroad (the "Hudson Tunnels" subway line that is now the Port Authority Trans-Husdon [PATH] train) supplied power to the systems tunnel lines, trolleys, stations and terminals on both sides of the Hudson River. The ten-story massive building held 46,000 square feet, with a footprint of about 200 by 200 feet. Five-story tall windows in the dark red brick walls were framed with steel. Designed by John Oakman, the Romanesque Revival style structure's brick walls are 28 inches thick. The concrete foundation pillars were set on bedrock 35 to 45 feet below tidewater level and took 7,800 cubic yards of concrete. The engineering firm of L.B. Stilwell designed the electrical generators and other machinery plus the structural steel work. One innovation was the placement of the coal bins near the roof, supplied by conveyor belts leading from the entrance where train cars would offload the coal. Human hands didn't need to shovel the coal, which was fed into the furnaces automatically via gravity. Turbo-generator turbines used water from the Hudson River. The building used 4,000 tons of steel to build; together with its machinery, the powerhouse cost a total of $4 million. On opening day, February 25th 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt sent a signal from the White House to energize the powerhouse. The powerhouse was closed in 1929 for unknown reasons; the subway line was electrified by power purchased from outside sources and sent to the system's sub-stations. Hudson &amp; Manhattan Railroad used the building for storage of railroad equipment; the company went bankrupt in 1962. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey assumed responsibility for the train system, but the former powerhouse fell into disrepair and was heading toward being demolished. The Hudson &amp; Manhattan Powerhouse was named in 2000 to the list of the ten most endangered historic properties in New Jersey by Preservation New Jersey. The building's preservation is part of the Master Plan for Jersey City. The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) and the Port Authority stabilized the building, which had been left open to the elements and was deteriorating. The debris-filled interior needed to be cleared so that a condition assessment could be done, and to remove hazardous and structurally unstable architectural parts. The tall windows have been boarded up to protect the building; the bright yellow covering is easy to see on a clear day, even from the Manhattan side of the river. A new temporary roof was installed and plans for repair of brick and terra cotta tile trim were made. It is hoped that the former powerhouse can be rehabilitated to become a local arts center/ destination entertainment center for the "Powerhouse Arts District" which surrounds it. Plans were announced in 2014 for a $179 million retail and commercial complex within the powerhouse, and a 40-story residential tower. Cordish Companies of Baltimore has yet to begin the renovation, but have completed a similar project for a former power plant on the Baltimore waterfront. Disputes over unpaid taxes stalled the project for a number of years; Jersey City Redevelopment Agency announced plans to acquire the building from the Port Authority in 2018 and use the $1.3 million in funds already paid to the city for its renovation by the Port Authority. An electrical substation behind the powerhouse needs to be relocated first, to a vacant lot nearby, on the opposite side of the light rail tracks; most of the new substation will be underground, with the Port Authority controlling the development rights above. The rapidly developing neighborhood is slated to contain green space, performance areas, and pedestrian-friendly attractions. One other historic building in the district has been renovated already - the former Great Atlantic &amp; Pacific Warehouse (also a Clio entry); new residential high-rise buildings have sprung up in recent years, including a Trump property next door.

The brick building at 60-84 Bay Street was built from 1906 to1908 as the coal and steam-powered powerhouse for the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad. It energized the first subway line joining New Jersey and New York. Plans to demolish the abandoned building in 1999 inspired the newly-formed Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy to fight for its preservation. The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse was entered into the National Register in 2001. The abandoned building was stabilized in 2010 while an adaptive reuse could be planned, and while disagreements over who would pay to remove the building's electrical transformers could be ironed out. The remaining three of four original, iconic brick and steel smokestacks could not be saved after many years of roof deterioration and were removed in 2013.

Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse

George Francis Gilman opened a leather importing business in New York City in the late 1850s and eventually formed a partnership with one of his employees, George Hunting Hartford. By 1859, the pair were buying tea directly from clipper ships and retailing it, along with their leather products. By eliminating wholesalers and buying directly from the suppliers, the men could reduce the price of this expensive commodity by half. The success of the tea business caused the men to drop the leather side of the business by 1862. The Great American Tea Company opened a new store in 1864 on Vesey Street in NYC. The firm also offered mail order, and advertised using circulars. By the mid-1880s, the company had opened 150 branch stores across the U.S., offering a variety of food products. A&amp;P was still the largest chain of grocery store in the United States in the 1970s. Great Atlantic and Pacific once had a complex of five buildings in this Jersey City location, including a bakery and warehouses. The warehouse at 150 Bay Street (the subject of this entry), designed by Howard Chapman and built by Turner Construction Company, was considered the main structure in the complex. Only three of the five buildings were left standing by the 1970s. One was the auxiliary warehouse and bakery built in 1915 near this warehouse, at 124-134 Bay Street; that building later became the offices of a set production company, Acadia Scenic. The complex served as a manufacturing and distribution point for the company's stores in the NYC metropolitan region, from northern New Jersey through the boroughs of NYC and Long Island. Great Atlantic and Pacific put the warehouse building at 150 Bay Street, and its other four buildings here, up for sale in 1928 and 1929, as part of an effort to decentralize operations into smaller units in different locations. The building at 150 Bay Street was still being used as a warehouse in 1977 when it was documented for listing in the National Register. The owner at that time was Kaycel Realty; access to the interior was not provided, but 1920s records show that the building held eight freight and two passenger elevators. A sprinkler system and cold storage areas were part of the design. A massive, detailed cornice crowns the 360,000-square-foot reinforced concrete building with brick fill. The ground level held double sliding doors on all but the west side, leading to a three-foot tall loading dock covered by a shed roof; train tracks were laid up to the east side of the building. Triangular projections from the east loading dock allowed for easier unloading of trucks. The ninth story held dining rooms and kitchens for employees, with the company's signature coffee roasting machines. This neighborhood is now the Powerhouse Arts District (PAD), where many nineteenth-century industrial buildings were converted near the turn of the twentieth century into living and work spaces popular with artists. The PAD covers about 11 blocks between, roughly, Second Street, Washington Street, Steuben Street, and Marin Boulevard. The renovated building is now owned and managed by Bay Street Associates, LLC, and contains residential and artist work lofts, commercial spaces, and retail.

The nine-story building at 150 Bay Street was built from 1907 to 1908 as a warehouse for the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (the grocer A&P); it served until 1929. The company began in New York City in 1859 as the Great American Tea Company; it opened a tea shop in Manhattan on Front Street in 1860. They expanded to five New York City stores by 1865 and also offered coffee, spices, condensed milk, flavoring extracts, and baking powder; the name was changed to the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company.  The former A&P warehouse building was listed as a National Historic Landmark for its association with the first national chain of grocery stores, and was added to the National Register in 1978. The renovated building, now called 150 Bay Street, holds lofts geared toward living and work space for artists, plus commercial and retail spaces.

Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Warehouse

The Paulus Hook garrison was built in the spring of 1776 by the orders of General William Alexander.&nbsp;Following the Americans' loss at Long Island in August, American troops abandoned the garrison, which was occupied by the British shortly after. By 1779,&nbsp;Colonel Abraham Van Buskirk commanded around 400 men at the outpost, in addition to reinforcements that could be signaled from New York.&nbsp;In July, hoping to reclaim the garrison, General George Washington issued General Anthony Wayne&nbsp;plans to attack Stony Point. On July 16, the attack on Stony Point was carried out, resulting in a victory for the Americans.&nbsp;The success inspired Major Henry Lee to propose to General Washington the idea to attack Paulus Hook. Originally hesitant, Washington eventually agreed to the plan, and Lee assembled a group of 400 men to carry out the attack.&nbsp;On August 18, the Americans began traveling towards Paulus Hook hoping to attack at midnight. After enduring minor&nbsp;setbacks during their travels, the Americans reached Paulus Hook around 3:00 am.&nbsp;Navigating through a marsh, the Americans reached and swarmed into the garrison, overwhelming British forces.&nbsp;Major William Sutherland retreated from the garrison while the Americans finished securing the outpost, capturing 159 enemies&nbsp;in their attack. The battle resulted in two&nbsp;killed, three wounded, and seven captured on the American side, while the British endured 30 killed and injured, and 159 captured. This victory, in addition to the Stony Point victory, convinced General Henry Clinton that the region wouldn't be easily captured, prompting him to plan a campaign for the southern colonies to be carried out&nbsp;the following year.

This park was part of the original plan for the city and appears in the 1804 Mangin Map of Paulus Hook. Today it is home to a large obelisk that commemorates the Battle of Paulus Hook. After achieving victory at Stony Point, Major Henry Lee convinced General George Washington to attack Paulus Hook. The Battle of Paulus Hook took place during the American Revolution on August 19, 1779, and ended in an American victory. The American victories at Stony Point and Paulus Hook played a role in changing Sir Henry Clinton's plans in the New York region as he began to look towards the southern campaign the following year. The battle resulted in 2 killed, three wounded, and seven captured on the American side, while the British endured 30 killed and injured, and 159 captured.

Paulus Hook Park and the Battle of Paulus Hook

Designed by architect Lewis H. Broome, the City Hall building in Jersey City is made out of granite and marble in a Victorian and Classical style of&nbsp;architecture. It is located on Groove Street. The city's previous City Hall was located on Newark Avenue and Cooper Place. Three commissioners, appointed by&nbsp;Mayor Orestes Cleveland, ensured the building was completed. In 1892, they held a competition to select the architect to design the building. Broome won the competition, and the building was completed in 1896.&nbsp; The city later wanted a statue built outside the building to enhance the exterior design. The statue was to serve as a Civil War memorial. The city held another competition to find an artist to create the statue. The winner was&nbsp;Philip H. Martiny, who was a student of Augustus Saint Gaudens. Gaudens sat on the panel that was in charge of selecting the artist. Martiny's design for the statue included a seated female who was inspired by the Roman goddess Bellona. The statue stands nine feet in height, and it is made out of bronze. Standing atop a granite pedestal, the female figure holds a sword in her left hand and a laurel wreath in her right hand, has a shield over her knees, and wears a helmet.&nbsp; To prevent an accident, the brass cupolas and the central tower were removed from the building in 1955. Then, in 1979, a fire burned five copper friezes. For these reasons and others, renovations were necessary, but funding was a problem for many years. In 2008, the city received a $300,000 grant&nbsp;from the Hudson County Open Space &amp; Historic Preservation Trust Fund. This money was used to start the renovations, which ended up costing $1.9 million before it was completed. The renovations included fixing the plaster friezes, stained glass windows and dome, as well as adding modern amenities such as HVAC and electrical wiring to the chandeliers, which were original.&nbsp;

Constructed of marble and granite and completed in 1896, the City Hall of Jersey City replaced a previous structure at the corner of Newark Avenue and Cooper Place. Once completed, this building became the second headquarters for the city government and continues to serve in this capacity. The building's elaborate architecture reveals the optimism of city boosters who hoped to both mirror and rival the city government offices across the Hudson. 

The City Hall of Jersey City

The history of the Barrow Mansion is hard to seperate from another mansion, the Van Vorst Mansion, which was built at the same time, even though the Van Vorst Mansion was later lost to time. In 1835, William Barrow bought the land to build his family mansion from Cornelius Van Vorst. The two men built their mansions in a Greek Revival style, popular among elites at the time, alongside one another. Completed in 1838, the houses were connected by a garden. Until after the Civil War, the houses served as a family compound for the Barrow family and the Vorst family, who were related to one another through two sisters,&nbsp;Eliza Brower Barrow and Sarah S. Brower Van Vorst. These two mansions set a precedent for Jersey City at the time because the area was underdeveloped. Soon after they were built though, the area around them began to develop into an upscale suburb. The two families eventually sold the mansions with the Barrow Mansion leaving the family in 1868. The Barrow Mansion was occupied by another wealthy family, the Paulmiers, until it was sold to the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in 1890. The YMCA made changes to the mansion by adding a gymnasium and bowling alley.&nbsp; In 1897, the Barrow Mansion was purchased by its current owner, the St. Mathew's Church. The Barrow Mansion Development Corporation (BMDC) was established in 1984. Their job was to raise funds to restore the mansion. Today, the Barrow Mansion is leased by the BMDC from the St. Mathew's Church. Visitors to the mansion will find meetings, events, and art programs for their enjoyment.&nbsp;

The Barrow Mansion was built in 1837 by Cornelius Van Vorst for Dr. William Barrow. The land on which it stands was part of a Dutch colony established in 1630. The Greek Revival house features five Ionic columnns and a two-story portico. It is adjacent to the St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, which was built in 1898. Today, the mansion serves as office space and home to small businesses and non-profits, as well as the location of the Attic Ensemble Theater Company and the Jersey Children's Theater. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Jersey City East Side Walking Tour

Museum of Russian Art (MORA)

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