Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The Van Vorst Park Historic District in Jersey City features one of the best collections of late Victorian vernacular row-houses in New Jersey. The streetscapes within the district portray Jersey City during its peak development phase in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. Van Vorst Park is an exemplary example of urban parks in the Anglo-American tradition. Although mostly residential housing, there are a few institutional buildings and a major industrial complex, Dixon Factories, located within the district.  

The Beaux-Arts style structure was designed by the architecture firm Bright and Bacon and built in 1899-1901. The Free Library system in Jersey City was established in 1889, with the first library housed in the basement of the Provident Back. The library quickly outgrew this space and moved to the new building in 1901. Additions were added to the rear of the building in 1928 on Mercer and Montgomery Streets. From the time of its construction to the present, the building has served as the Main Library of Jersey City. The building is owned by the City of Jersey City and operated by the Jersey City Free Public Library. 

The 2024 Trust grant will help fund exterior and interior improvements, including masonry repair and replacement, window and door replacement and restoration, façade cleaning, and steel lintel replacement.