Weehawken Public Library

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Entrance to the library on Hauxhurst Avenue 3.24.13WeehawkenLibraryByLuigiNovi.jpg
Entrance to the library on Hauxhurst Avenue

The Weehawken Public Library is the free public library of Weehawken, New Jersey. The library has a collection of about 43,000 volumes and circulates 40,604 items annually. [1] It is a member of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System, a consortium of municipal libraries in the northeastern New Jersey counties of Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, and Essex. [2]

Contents

The library sits at 49 Hauxhurst Avenue on a precipice overlooking the Lincoln Tunnel Helix. Originally built as a private home, it became a library in 1942, and was extensively renovated and expanded in 1997-1998. [3] The landmark is home to the town's historical commission. [4] [5] An annual fundraiser for the library at Lincoln Harbor, a culinary event called A Taste of Weehawken, has taken place since 2000. [6] [7]

History

The library overlooks the Lincoln Tunnel Helix. 12.17.09WeehawkenLibraryByLuigiNovi1.jpg
The library overlooks the Lincoln Tunnel Helix.

Wilhelm Joseph Peter (aka William Peter) (March 16, 1832 – June 10, 1918) immigrated from Achern in the Grand Duchy of Baden after the German revolution of 1848 to avoid persecution due to his father's affiliation with it. After some years in the brewery business at several locales in North Hudson, he established the William Peter Brewing Company in 1862 at Hudson Avenue and Weehawken Street in what was then Union Hill. [8] [9] Parts of the imposing structure remained, and were repurposed as a storage facility. [10] [11] While he and his family lived for a time across the street at the since demolished Fausel Mansion, [8] Peter eventually built a mansion across the valley on the cliff where the library now stands. [3] [12]

The William Peter historical marker on Hudson Ave and Peter Street in Union City William Peter historical marker-Hudson Ave & Peter Street-Union City.jpg
The William Peter historical marker on Hudson Ave and Peter Street in Union City

Completed in 1904 at the cost of $75,000, the home was designed like a German-style castle with 17 rooms and elaborately decorated with ornate woodwork, marble, stained glass, and several fireplaces. [5] A successful businessman, Peter was also a painter encouraged by Hudson River School artist Max Eaglau and maintained a studio as his home for himself and others to use. The gallery in the house included many works inspired by his native Black Forest and the Catskill Mountains, where he summered. [8] After Peter's death, the house changed hands [5] and was owned for a time by the Arnoldi family. [12] In the 1930s, to make way for the construction of the Midtown-Hudson Tunnel (today's Lincoln Tunnel), the building and others in the neighborhood and along Boulevard East were acquired by the Port Authority. Many were demolished, but the Peter Mansion was spared and later given to the township. The library opened in September 1942 [5] [13] with books and memorabilia donated by local residents. [5]

In 1997, the library closed for expansion and renovation. It re-opened in 1999. [5] [13] In March 2022, the town council adopted a $1.4 million bond ordinance to modernize the library. The project includes installation of energy efficient lighting, replacement of exterior windows, improved Wi-Fi, a new HVAC system, an improved electrical system, and additional USB ports to public work stations. [13]

Weehawken Historical Commission

The Weehawken Historical Commission, whose office and archives are located on the upper floor of the library in the Historical Room, maintains materials originally contributed upon the creation of the library as well as other acquisitions made over the years. [14] The Weehawken Time Machine is a website that has digitized many of the photographs and documents in the collection. In 2009, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the town's incorporation, the commission published Weehawken as part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series. [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

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Route 495 is a 3.45-mile-long (5.55 km) state highway in Hudson County, New Jersey, in the United States that connects the New Jersey Turnpike at exits 16E-17 in Secaucus to New York State Route 495 (NY 495) inside the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken, providing access to Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The road is owned and operated by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) between the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 3, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) between Route 3 and Park Avenue near the Union City–Weehawken border, and by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) east of Park Avenue, including the helix used to descend the New Jersey Palisades to reach the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel. Route 495 is mostly a six-lane freeway with a reversible bus lane used during the morning rush hour. The bus lane, which runs the entire length of the freeway, continues into the Lincoln Tunnel's center tube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weehawken, New Jersey</span> Township in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Tunnel</span> Tunnel between New Jersey and New York

The Lincoln Tunnel is an approximately 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey, to the west with Midtown Manhattan in New York City to the east. It carries New Jersey Route 495 on the New Jersey side and unsigned New York State Route 495 on the New York side. It was designed by Ole Singstad and named after Abraham Lincoln. The tunnel consists of three vehicular tubes of varying lengths, with two traffic lanes in each tube. The center tube contains reversible lanes, while the northern and southern tubes exclusively carry westbound and eastbound traffic, respectively.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson River Waterfront Walkway</span> Park in the United States of America

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hudson, New Jersey</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

North Hudson is the area in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, situated on the west bank of the Hudson River, mostly atop the Hudson Palisades. It comprises Weehawken, Union City, West New York, Guttenberg, and North Bergen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weehawken Terminal</span> Former intermodal terminal in Weehawken, New Jersey

Weehawken Terminal was the waterfront intermodal terminal on the North River in Weehawken, New Jersey for the New York Central Railroad's West Shore Railroad division, whose route traveled along the west shore of the Hudson River. It opened in 1884 and closed in 1959. The complex contained five ferry slips, sixteen passenger train tracks, car float facilities, and extensive yards. The facility was also used by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway. The terminal was one of five passenger railroad terminals that lined the Hudson Waterfront during the 19th and 20th centuries; the others were located at Hoboken, Pavonia, Exchange Place and Communipaw, with Hoboken being the only one still in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackensack Water Company Complex</span> United States historic place

The Hackensack Water Company Complex is a set of historic buildings in Weehawken, New Jersey, registered in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Hackensack Water Company, a predecessor of Suez North America, developed water supply and storage in northeastern New Jersey from the 1870s to the 1970s, initially to provide service to the city of Hackensack and the towns of North Hudson. Originally its headquarters and major facilities were located at Hackensack, in Bergen County. Under Robert W. de Forest, who ran the Hackensack Water Company for 46 years beginning in 1881, the company constructed new facilities and moved its headquarters to Weehawken in Hudson County, setting up offices in a brick water tower, part of the present complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Waterfront</span> Place in Hudson and Bergen

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pershing Road (Weehawken)</span> Road ascending the Hudson Palisades in Weehawken, New Jersey

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulevard East</span> County road in New Jersey, U.S.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palisade Avenue (Hudson Palisades)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgewater Branch</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Tunnel Helix</span> Elevated freeway structure in New Jersey

The Lincoln Tunnel Helix, known commonly as The Helix or the Route 495 Helix, is an elevated spiral bridge freeway that carries New Jersey Route 495 to and from the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken, New Jersey. It is an oval-shaped 270-degree loop between the Palisades cliffs and the tunnel’s toll plaza. The structure, built in 1937, is owned, operated and maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).

References

  1. ↑ "Weehawken Public Library". librarytechnology.org. November 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  2. ↑ "Weehawken Public Library". Bergen County Cooperative Library System. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  3. 1 2 Strunsky, Steve (June 28, 1998). "ON THE MAP; Above the Helix, an Old Library Grows Newer". The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ Fry, Chris (September 4, 2018). "Beers and Books: History of the Weehawken Public Library".
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sherman, Lauren; Gaulkin, Ellen Robb (February 2009). Weehawken (paper). Images of America (1st ed.). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7385-6268-1.
  6. ↑ Arrue, Karen (April 27, 2010). "Weehawken library fund-raiser brings new and known restaurants to Lincoln Harbor for cuisine and the view". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  7. ↑ Deering, Sally (April 23, 2011). "Local Hudson County Restaurants and Wine Suppliers participate in Fundraising Event for Weehawken Free Public Library". Riverview Observer. Archived from the original on 2011-05-02. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  8. 1 2 3 Schneider, Eberhardt. "Wilhelm Joseph Peter". Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  9. ↑ "Peter Family from Achern to Union Hill". fortunecity.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  10. ↑ "SELF STORAGE UNION CITY". Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Category: Weehawken". STREET TO THE LEFT.
  12. 1 2 "Peters/Arnoldi House in the 1930s - Pre Library". Weehawken Time Machine. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 Israel, Daniel (April 14, 2022). "Weehawken bonds $2.8 million for more municipal pool upgrades". The Hudson Reporter . Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Weehawken Time Machine - Weehawken Historical Commission". Weehawkenhistory.org. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
  15. ↑ Schwaeble, Diana; Rosero, Jessica (June 24, 2008). "A look back in time Capturing Weehawken's past in pictures". Hudson Reporter. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  16. ↑ Kim, Jennifer (February 4, 2009). "Weehawken kicks off year-long celebration of 150th anniversary". Arcadia Publishing. Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2011-11-25.

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