The Hoffman Building, also known as The Arnold, was a

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

structure completed before 1896.VOGT BROS., COMPLETE Morris County New Jersey, DIRECTORY for 1897-1898 .
Page 3 local Morristown advertisement of "A. L. Revere" that matches time period. 1898, published by Vogt. Bros. Located across the street from the Morristown Green, the three-story building housed retail and rental properties,VOGT BROS., COMPLETE Morris County New Jersey, DIRECTORY for 1897-1898 .
Page 12 local Morristown advertisement. 1898, published by Vogt. Bros. most notably Adams & Fairchild grocers and P. H. Hoffman & Son clothiers. It was commissioned by Philip H. Hoffman, and its carpenter was John T. Allen. The inscription above the entrance hall read "The Arnold," in homage to the Arnold's Tavern, the historic building moved to accommodate it. It was demolished some time before the 1960s to make room for the Reynolds & Co building, in which a Charles Schwab location now stands.

Architecture

The three-story building appeared to have two Dutch neck gables on either side, creating a symmetrical exterior that may recall the Western-style false front and

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

architecture. The second floor's windows have arched

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

History

19th century

In 1849, Philip H. Hoffman established men's clothing store and tailoring shop P. H. Hoffman & Son. By 1882, the Clothiers operated out of the historic Arnold's Tavern which also housed Adams & Fairchild Groceries and the jewelry store of F. J. Crowell as well as apartments. Circa 1882, Philip H. Hoffman owned the building, along with Hampton O. Marsh. In the spring of 1886, after Marsh's death, Hoffman "decided to remove the old building, and rectin its stead heHoffman Building." The Tavern's demolition was prevented by Morristown historian and lecturer Julia Keese Colles.All Soul's Hospital
, North Jersey History and Genealogy Center. Accessed July 17, 2011. To preserve the building, Colles arranged to move the building from the Morristown Green to her estate on Mount Kemble Avenue. Some time before 1896, the building was completed. That year, former tenants Adams & Fairchild Grocers moved in and advertised their relocation back to 20 North Park Place. In 1899, D. Kantor photographed the Hoffman Building.

20th century

As of 1904, the building was residential; a groom's family celebrated his wedding breakfast at his Hoffman Building home. That year, Sidney A. Baldwin, organist and musical director of the Morristown Church of the Redeemer, had her studio where she taught

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

forte in the Hoffman Building. Circa October 1910, Morristown resident Arthur Day had his bike stolen from the hall of the Hoffman Building. The Hoffman Building was still standing by 1923, when it housed Morristown Typewriter Service, a typewriter business by M. J. Conroy. By the 1960s, the building and its two neighboring buildings on the left had been demolished; the source provides a photograph of the street for view. The Hoffman building and its two neighboring structures to the left became the site of the

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

brick Reynolds & Co building, which circa 1960 housed the Jodo Gift Shop,

S. S. Kresge Company Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and its territories. It operates four remaining Kmart big-box department stores — ...

, and Rogers Clothing. By 2022, the Reynolds & Co building had become a Charles Schwab location.

References

External links

Undated photograph of the building
{{coord, 40.79742, -74.48180, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NJ, display=title Morristown, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Morris County, New Jersey Western false front architecture Commercial buildings completed in the 19th century