One of Jersey City’s oldest neighborhoods is also one of its most desirable. Although Hamilton Park is just a few blocks from the Holland Tunnel, it stays surprisingly removed from the hustle and bustle of city life. This may be due to its geography – the neighborhood centers on the four-block-square Hamilton Park, named for statesman Alexander Hamilton.
The park is bordered on all sides by rows of residences, some of which are more than 150 years old. With historic facades and renovated interiors – not to mention a view overlooking the park and its iconic bandstand – these homes are some of the most sought-after in the city.
The arrangement of homes around a central park was a common feature of mid-19th century city planning in America, and it remains a popular and attractive way to combine city life with a little bit of the country.
Judging from the eclectic mixture of residents, the appeal of Hamilton Park seems to cut across demographic lines.
“It’s a big mix,” says Maggie Vecca, owner of the Hamilton Park Ale House. “There are a lot of young people, a lot of families. There are professionals, there are artists.”
Vecca, who lives near Hamilton Park herself, says that the area’s residents continue to care for their neighborhood long after they move in.
“They seem to be interested in the community,” she says. “They seem to be glad to be here.”
A bit of history
It is fitting that so many people are looking to move to the Hamilton Park neighborhood today, since the park’s formation arose from dispute in which two groups tried to grab the land.
In the early 1800s, Jersey City had not yet been formed through the merging of several smaller communities. The land where Hamilton Park sits – which was then part of the Town of Van Vorst – was owned by John B. Coles, a Long Island native and New York state senator for which Coles Street is named.
Between 1804 and 1809, Coles had the land surveyed and laid out in the familiar street grid that remains today, dedicating four blocks to the town for a park.
More than 20 years after Coles died, his heirs noticed that the town still had not built the park. So in 1848 they attempted to reclaim the area for their own. To avoid losing the land, the town committee hastily planted four trees, and Hamilton Park was born.
The Coles family renewed their claim to the land two years later, and in response the town committee had the park enclosed with a wooden fence.
The issue went to court, and by the time the suit was settled and the town won its claim to the park, the Town of Van Vorst had been annexed into Jersey City.
Over the years, the Hamilton Park area has been home to some notable figures, such as political bosses Frank Hague and John V. Kenny.
In 1977, the Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association was formed. It succeeded in getting Hamilton Park on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and in making the neighborhood a safer, cleaner place.
‘A charming neighborhood’
Anthony Armagno, a broker with the Armagno Agency, which represents properties throughout Jersey City, says Hamilton Park has come a long way from the days before the HPNA began seeking to improve their neighborhood.
“It’s something that’s happened gradually,” he says. “It just evolved and evolved and evolved to where it is today.”
The Hamilton Park of today is filled with dozens of historic structures, some dating to the mid-19th century. Many of the buildings feature beautiful wrought-iron work and distinctive architecture.
Sam Stoia, president of the HPNA, lives in one of the neighborhood’s many historic brownstones. He says the vicinity’s concentration of brownstones produces plenty of interest from families looking for a home.
“People find it very charming,” Stoia says. “It makes the neighborhood extremely attractive.”
To add to the community feel, the HPNA organizes regular community events including a farmers market in the warmer months, an arts fair during the city’s annual Artists Studio Tour, and holiday events such as an Eastern Egg Hunt, a Halloween Party, and a visit from Santa Claus.