The Metuchen Municipal Building, located at 500 Main Street, is the town hall for the borough of Metuchen in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The two-story concrete building, with brick facade, was built in 2003 and dedicated on September 1, 2005. [1] [2]
Metuchen Borough Hall | |
 Postcard image taken within a few years of its construction in 1924 [3] | |
    | |
| Location | 500 Main Street Metuchen, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°32′38″N74°21′47″W / 40.54389°N 74.36306°W Coordinates: 40°32′38″N74°21′47″W / 40.54389°N 74.36306°W |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Clement W. Fairweather |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Demolished | 2002 |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000503 [4] |
| NJRHP No. | 3778 [5] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 5, 2001 |
| Designated NJRHP | March 23, 1988 |
The building replaced an earlier structure, the Metuchen Borough Hall, that had been built during the City Beautiful movement in 1924. [6] It was demolished soon after its listing on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places in 2001. It had been listed due to its significance in architecture and politics/government. [7]
The listing of the original Borough Hall as a historic site was controversial as it was unilaterally submitted by a small community activist group called the "Fairweather Friends" As a result of this listing, lawmakers made changes so that any public building could not be listed on a historic places list unless the governing body of that public building agrees to such a listing. The intent of this legal change was to insure that the entire public and not just one particular group seeking a historic designation is represented when these decisions are made on public buildings. [8]
It was designed by Metuchen architect Clement W. Fairweather and included space for borough offices, a library, and a police station. The two-story building was built of brick using Flemish bond and featured Classical Revival architecture with columns, pilasters, and a decorative stone cartouche with a Classical shield. [7]
Metuchen is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a bedroom suburb of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along with Edison, is a regional commercial hub for Central New Jersey. The borough is 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of New Brunswick, 19 miles (31 km) southwest of Newark, 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Jersey City, and 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 13,574, reflecting an increase of 734 (+5.7%) from the 12,840 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 36 (+0.3%) from the 12,804 counted in the 1990 Census.
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The General John Frelinghuysen House is a historic building located in Raritan, New Jersey. The older west wing was originally a tavern, built sometime before 1756 by Cornelius Bogert, when it also served as the town's meeting hall. It was bought in 1801 by John Frelinghuysen and then came to be known as the Frelinghuysen Homestead. It is an excellent example of early 19th century Federal architecture in New Jersey. In 1975, it was donated by Peter Frelinghuysen, Jr. to the borough and now serves as the Raritan Public Library.
The Livingston Avenue Historic District is a historic district located along Livingston Avenue between Hale and Morris Streets in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 16, 1996, for its significance in architecture, social history, and urban history from 1870 to 1929. It has 58 contributing buildings and 2 contributing sites, including the Willow Grove Cemetery, the Henry Guest House, and the New Brunswick Free Public Library.
The Middlesex Avenue–Woodwild Park Historic District is a historic district located in the borough of Metuchen in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 2017. It includes 197 contributing buildings, five contributing objects, and one contributing site.
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The Daniel Robert House is a historic house located at 25 West End Avenue in Somerville in Somerset County, New Jersey. The house was built in 1888 for Daniel Robert (1840–1908) by the architectural firm Lambert & Bunnell based on Gothic revival style houses designed by the architect Alexander Jackson Davis. It now serves as the Somerville Borough Hall and the Somerville Public Library. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 2008 for its significance in architecture from 1888 to 1939.
The Chester House Inn, also known as the Chester Inn and the Brick Tavern, is a historic building at the corner of Main Street and Hillside Road in Chester Borough, Morris County, New Jersey. It was built from 1810 to 1812 by Zephaniah Drake. The inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in architecture, commerce, and education on July 18, 1974.
Roosevelt Hospital is a historic building at 1 Roosevelt Drive in Edison, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Construction of the hospital was started in 1935 and completed in 1937. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 2002 for its significance in health and medicine, in particular the treatment of tuberculosis. It was designed with Colonial Revival style and built with red brick.
The Clinton Historic District is a 175-acre (71 ha) historic district encompassing much of the town of Clinton in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1995, for its significance in architecture, commerce, engineering, industry and exploration/settlement. The district includes 270 contributing buildings, one contributing structure, and three contributing sites. Five were previously listed on the NRHP individually: Dunham's Mill, M. C. Mulligan & Sons Quarry, Music Hall, Old Grandin Library, and Red Mill.
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The Milltown India Rubber Company is a historic building located at 40 Washington Avenue in the borough of Milltown in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Construction of the building started in 1899 and was completed in 1900. Designed by architect George Parsell with vernacular Italianate style, it was part of the rubber industry in the county. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1986 for its significance in architecture and industry.
