Before demolition work began on Grand Street, John Gomez drew up a wish list.
“In January of 2003 they were getting ready to demolish the factories which faced Grand Street and I created a list of items I wanted to preserve from the location,” Gomez explained.
Gomez, head of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, plans to create what he calls a “history garden” to both preserve and display to the public the items saved from the wrecking ball.
Among the items taken from Jersey City Welding and Machine Works before it was torn down to make way for the new Public School 3 and middle school, were a century-old coal shovel, a five-inch steel safe, and the company’s black and white tile sign.
“Having the actual Jersey City Machine Works sign is very significant,” said Gomez. “The sign is about 15 feet wide and dates back to late 19th century.”
Gomez noted the sign was encased in a wall of the factory, which, according to Gomez, had operated for three generations. Area business owner Anthony Sandkamp said the city had acquired the factory under eminent domain to build the new schools.
“The factory had operated for three generations,” said Sandkamp. “They manufactured mostly machine parts, but they also did a lot of specialty work for artists in Jersey City and New York.”
Sandkamp noted that the Jersey City Welding and Machine works was an ideal facility for area artists.
“The bigger machine shops do everything en masse so they wouldn’t have the ability to do stuff for artists,” said Sandkamp, adding he was told the last owner of the factory was unable to find a buyer for his equipment after the city condemned the 400 Grand Street location.
“The company had to chop up the steel rolling machines because they were built into the ground,” Sandkamp said. “It’s a real shame.”
The Conservancy hopes to save a portion of Jersey City’s industrial past with the history garden. Gomez is only in the beginning stages of finding a location for the outdoor museum, but hopes the site will be established by the end of the summer.
“The Welding Works and a smaller box manufacturing factory were located in that area because the Morris Canal ran nearby,” said Gomez. “Where the new Jersey City Medical Center is now is where the canal ran. This made transportation easy.”
Some people have suggested the history garden be located on the site of the former machine works, including Sandkamp.
Sandkamp believes the history garden would be best situated at a location on the new school grounds.
Sandkamp noted that after Metropolitan Baseball Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota was demolished to make way for the Mall of America, developers preserved the home base where the Minnesota Twins once played. “I’d love to see that stuff kept in the area,” Sandkamp added.
Gomez said he was looking to have the artifacts placed somewhere in the inner portion of the city, either in the Greenville or Heights sections. He added he would check with the Department of Public Works about any available lots.
All the artifacts taken from the Jersey City Welding and Machine Works, including the massive tile sign, are currently being stored in Sandkamp’s backyard on Bright Street.
“The stuff has been here since the beginning of the year,” Sandkamp said.
Thomas Ogorzalek, a member of the Van Vorst Park Association, worked closely with URS, Inc., the firm the state of New Jersey hired to oversee the construction of the new schools. Both the new School 3 and middle school are being built with $75 million from the state. Ogorzalek praised URS for the way it cooperated with residents’ suggestions to alter the school project to fit the neighborhood and keep the community updated on the advance of the project.
“URS also did a $20,000 change order to move the tile sign to the Sandkamp’s backyard,” Ogorzalek said.
According to Ogorzalek, URS brought in a special crane to move the approximately 4,500-pound sign to Sandkamp’s backyard, which faces the construction site.
“It was pretty simple,” explained Ogorzalek. “They just picked up the sign and swung it over the fence and placed it in the back.”
“I’m glad we could preserve some of Jersey City’s history,” added Ogorzalek.