Published as part of the new Arcadia Publishing imprint Legendary Locals, John Gomezâ€s book LEGENDARY LOCALS OF JERSEY CITY shines new light on the people of Jersey City, past and present who stand out in the crowd. LEGENDARY LOCALS OF JERSEY CITY (Arcadia Publishing; 128 pgs.; $21.99, soft cover focuses on Jersey Cityâ€s Whoâ€s Who and “Who Was”

At first, when Gomez, who is also the founder of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy was approached by Arcadia Publishing to do the book, he was reluctant.

“I write about buildings,” Gomez says. “Iâ€m an architectural historian, but then I thought we canâ€t have buildings without the people in them, so I agreed. I had a list of 500 people and had to shrink it to 150.”

Gomez decided to include information in the book that people who are historians would not necessarily know. To accomplish this required a lot of research, he says, and when he decided to add Jersey City Mayor Frank “Boss” Hague to the list, he came across surprising tidbits like the time Hague had a run-in with Russian communist Leon Trotsky in Journal Square. Hague, who was anti-Communist, learned Trotsky was to make an appearance in Journal Square to recruit communists and Hague was there to kick him out.

‘Research and I have a very mysterious relationship,” Gomez says. “Whenever I do research I come across surprising things. I wanted to give the book something fresh and original. When you look and read the book you come away with something about that person that you didnâ€t know anything about.”

Also in Gomezâ€s book is Ann Willis, the first woman architect from Jersey City who made it big. She was one of the first two women architects to be admitted into the New Jersey Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. She designed Trinity United Methodist Church located at the southwest corner of Summit Avenue and Bowers Street in Jersey City.

“She was a major architect,” Gomez says, “and her buildings are still here. We look at buildings and never know who the architect is.”

The Brennan Courthouse in Jersey City rededicated its first-floor Rotunda for architect Theodore Conrad who was a huge figure in Americaâ€s past, having designed the Eternal Flame Memorial for President John F. Kennedy at Arlington Cemetary.

“Ted Conradâ€s spirit was the inspiration for this book,” Gomez says. “I met him in the 1990s. He was a huge influence on many people in Jersey City. When you read the book closely, itâ€s a testament to Ted Conrad.”

Also featured are Alfred Charles Bossom who designed the First National Bank at Exchange Place and the Greenville Bank and Trust Company at Ocean and Lembeck Avenues in Jersey City; and George Siegler who helped build the Holland Tunnel. Dr. Lena F. Edwards a Jersey City physician, who worked at Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 with 29 other recipients including John Steinbeck, Walt Disney and Carl Sandburg – is also featured.

“During the ceremony, Lena Edwards stood side-by-side with these giants,” Gomez says.

Gomez outlined the chapters in the book according to Civil Rights Leaders, Photographers, Mom & Pop stores and other categories that are connected by the theme, Gomez says.

“The book wasnâ€t hard to shape,” Gomez says. “It was hard to do the research. I researched in the New Jersey Room at the library; I used Columbia University, my own archives, ancestry.com, Google books – I used about 20 sources. When itâ€s a history book you have to make sure everything is right.”

Jersey Cityâ€s history is rich in creativity, Gomez says, and the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy which he founded shares the cityâ€s history with visitors who embark on the Conservancyâ€s walking and bus tours designed to educate and inspire them about the cityâ€s history. Gomez continues to be in awe of the Cityâ€s architecture, especially the Powerhouse building located downtown.

“The Powerhouse is one of a kind; thereâ€s nothing like it in the world,” Gomez says. “Itâ€s what I call a one hit wonder. Designed by architect John Oakman it would never be repeated. Thatâ€s how grand and significant it is. What happens to it is very important to Jersey City.”

LEGENDARY LOCALS OF JERSEY CITY can be found on the bookshelves of New Word Bookstore on Newark Ave and Garden State News on Central Ave in Jersey City, and at Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Route 3, Paramus.  It can also be purchased online at Amazon.com and

Barnes&Noble.com.

Gomez says that although his new book may have a sequel, heâ€s working on a book that has nothing to do with Jersey City.

“Itâ€s a book on architectural experience and theory,” Gomez says, “and it should be out later this year.”

 If youâ€d like to purchase LEGENDARY LOCALS OF JERSEY CITY, its available online at Amazon.com, and B&N.com, for $21.99. For more info, contact John Gomez at www.hpnetwork.org.

 Book Signings of LEGENDARY LOCALS OF JERSEY CITY by John Gomez will be held at:

 Van Vorst Park Association: Tues, Feb. 18 7:30 PM at the Barrow Mansion, 83 Wayne Street, Jersey City

Village Neighborhood Association: Thurs, Feb. 20, 7:30 PM at 365 Second Street, The Italian Village. More info: jcvillage.org

Hoboken Historical Museum: Sun, Mar. 2, 4 PM @ 1301 Hudson Street, Hoboken. More info: hobokenmuseum.org

Morris Canal Community Development Corporation: Thurs, Mar. 6, 6:45 PM at 317-319 Pacific Avenue, Jersey City; For more info: sparkklem@morriscanalcdc.org

Jack Miller’s Pub: Fri, Mar. 14, 8 PM at 293 Academy Street, Bergen Square. More info: jedsey_journal@compuserve.com

The post Legendary Locals of Jersey City-Book by John Gomez Shines New Light on The City’s Movers and Shakers first appeared on River View Observer.

Howard Pyle, the “Father of American Illustration,” was also famous for painting historic murals like “The Landing at Carteret” which hangs in the Essex County Court House in Newark and other works collected by the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Delaware Art Museum and the Brandywine River Museum. But you don’t have to hop a plane to Frisco or a train to Delaware to see Pyle’s paintings up close. Four murals depicting the history of Hudson County hang in the beautifully restored, Beaux Arts landmark Justice William J. Brennan Court House in Jersey City, where people from all walks of life can view Pyle’s majestic and historic paintings.  

Adorning public buildings with historic art by contemporary artists was a popular concept at the Turn-of-the 20^th century and Pyle’s murals were hung at the Brennan (then called the Hudson County Court House,) soon after it opened on September 10, 1910 (this is the building’s centennial year.) Pyle’s murals are cherished commodities and respectfully maintained by the Hudson County Cultural & Heritage Affairs Tourism Development office housed on the first floor of the building where the department’s administrator Bill LaRosa and his talented staff – some of whom are artists, performers and writers themselves – carry on Pyle’s legacy:

Every month, the staff transforms the first floor’s Theodore Conrad Rotunda into the Brennan Gallery, a public art space that gives local artists a venue to show their work and the local community a chance to experience art up close and personal.  To LaRosa, his staff and the man in charge, Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise, art is for the people and by the people.

 “The arts community is an important and growing part of our population,” DeGise says from his wood-paneled office on the first floor of the court house. “Ten percent of our capital projects go to public art. The Brennan was built 100 years ago and it’s still very beautiful and useful. There’s a lesson there. Do it right and with an eye toward the future.” 

And while Pyle, a master artist and illustrator of his time chose to look back in Hudson County’s history as the inspiration for the murals he created, LaRosa and the Cultural Affairs crew concentrate their efforts on artists who create contemporary works in all genres of the visual and performing arts.

 “We have some of the greatest murals of the 20^th century on our walls,” LaRosa says from his first floor office steps away from the marble-floored rotunda. “Why shouldn’t contemporary artists have the privilege of being seen here? The court house is an ideal location to showcase art work.”

To respect the dignity of the Brennan which is on the National Register of Historic Places, LaRosa and his crew stage the Brennan Gallery with the clever use of portable walls and strategic lighting.

 “I remember seeing the gallery when it was completed, it was just beautiful,” LaRosa says. “The paintings were up, the lights were on – the rotunda was made for it.”

Because the court house is a government building, the work is seen by a wide-range of people, from the high-ranking government official to the local citizen on their way to jury duty. Seeing everyday people appreciate the art gives LaRosa great pleasure, he says.

  “I’ll see jurors, sheriff’s officers and county employees looking at the art work and that makes me feel good because that’s what it’s designed to do,” LaRosa says. “Art is for everyone.  A public building shouldn’t be cut and dry. If it can serve a higher purpose, then why not?”

Looking back to the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Hudson County was home to many art galleries exhibiting local artists’ work, but times changed when storefront galleries became real estate gold. These days, local art galleries are practically nonexistent and many artists look for alternative venues to show their work like restaurants, office buildings, even city halls.

“There are very few galleries in Hudson County because of property values and lack of accessible public spaces,” LaRosa says. “The Brennan Gallery is one of the few.”

This week, the Cultural Affairs team is preparing for a special exhibit for Women’s History Month called “Herstory” curated by Assistant Administrator Eileen Gaughan and Program Development Specialist Meredith Lippman. The show opens March 2^nd and runs through March 26^th and features black-and-white photographs taken by local women photographers who were asked to go out into the community and photograph other women at work.  

“We thought what better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than with an exhibit of women photographing women working in unconventional roles in fields like architecture and mathematics,” Gaughan says. “Who knows a woman better than another woman and who can celebrate women better than her peers?”

 For the past two years, the Women’s History Month exhibition has given women artists like So Yoon Lym, a photographer and painter, the opportunity to have their work shown. Prior to having her work chosen for the 2009 show, Lym’s work was picked for the February “African Americana” exhibit.

  “For the African-Americana show, the artists had to be of African-American ancestry,” Lym says. “What a revolutionary and contemporary concept – that all Americans are in some way connected to this month and could be through their art work. I have always looked to New York City as the center of the art world and though this is true, it’s great to know that there are venues in Jersey City that showcase and promote contemporary artists.” 

Along with professional artists and photographers who exhibit at the Brennan, LaRosa and his staff present shows by senior citizens, teenagers, even patients from a local hospital. Lippman recalls a group show by students at St. Dominic’s Academy, a Catholic High School in Jersey City, who expressed their artistry in a series of painted wooden chairs.

“It was a knockout of an exhibit,” Lippman says.

As Program Development Specialist, Lippman also runs a workshop series to help artists manage their careers. An artist herself, she understands the problems they face trying to handle their careers while creating their art. So, she assembles panels of professionals who discuss important issues like writing artist statements, knowing what museum curators look for when producing shows, copyrights and other matters.

 “I email the artist community and ask them, ‘What do you need?  Give me an idea of what we can do to help you,'” Lippman says.

Along with the Brennan Gallery, LaRosa and his staff host the Brennan Coffee House, a once-a-month, Friday night hootenanny where the rotunda gets transformed again, this time as an intimate bistro with café tables and chairs. Local folksingers and musicians – some with a national following – perform on a portable stage and the acoustics are just right for folk music.  A pet project of County Executive DeGise who’s a real fan of folk legends like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, the coffee house has become a popular night of entertainment for local music lovers and within the historic setting of the court house, songs of protest and peace seem to resound with a deeper meaning.

In September, DeGise will host a special celebration honoring the Brennan’s centennial year. It’s been a hundred years since Pyle’s murals were hung in the court house, but the concept of giving art justice still holds true today through the work of DeGise, LaRosa and the Cultural Affairs staff.  Providing a public forum for art exhibitions not only nurtures an ever-growing artist population, it nourishes a community’s quality-of-life.

As County Executive DeGise says, “There’s a lesson there.”

 Sally Deering is a freelance writer on art and culture.

For more information, email SallyDeer@gmail.com

 

 

The post The Art of Justice: Howard Pyle’s Legacy Prevails at the Brennan Court House first appeared on River View Observer.