The Crescent Area Historic District is a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
located in the city of
Plainfield in
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 575,345, making it the seventh-most populous of New Jersey's 21 counties. Its county seat is Elizabeth. . It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on December 12, 1980 for its significance in architecture, featuring
Victorian houses built from 1870 to 1900. The district includes 111
contributing buildings
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
.
[ With ]
History and description
The area was initially developed by philanthropist
Job Male
Job Male (August 24, 1808 – 1891) was the first Mayor of Plainfield, New Jersey, serving from 1869–1870 and 1877–1878 and finally 1887–1890.
Biography
Male was born on August 24, 1808 in Somersetshire, England. He emigrated to the United ...
, who moved to Plainfield in 1867, and would become the first major of the city in 1869. He designed and built several of the houses in the district and lived on Crescent Avenue.
The Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church is located at the intersection of Crescent Avenue, Watchung Avenue, and 7th Street on land donated by Male. It was built in 1871 with
English Gothic style. Fire damaged the church in 1888 and 1931. Swains Galleries at 703 Watchung Avenue was built and features
Second Empire style
Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...
, as seen in its
mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
. The Goddard House at 213 East Ninth Street was built and features a domed tower and a variety of styles, including
Queen Anne and
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...
.
See also
*
References
External links
*
{{NRHP in Union County, New Jersey
Plainfield, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Union County, New Jersey
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Historic districts in Union County, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places