Cobblestones came to our shores in a feat of late 19th century recycling. They were used as ballast in ships and then reused to “pave” our earliest streets.
There’s no time to lose if you want to preserve a piece of our historic past-only six original cobblestone streets remain in the city, and some are in danger of being paved over with 21st century blacktop.
“They’re a unique aspect of our streetscape that evoke an old-world image and are very rare in a paved-over city,” says Joshua Parkhurst, president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.
“Each street has a history related to the buildings around it,” says conservancy founder John Gomez. “Provost Street, for example, has train tracks, which were used to deliver goods to the warehouse loading docks. Before that, dirt roads created great dust clouds. Merchants using those roads with horse-drawn wagons were tired of the dust and wanted a rugged street.”
Gomez says he’s read about wooden cobblestones that were installed because of the noise of hooves and wagon wheels on stone. “But of course they rotted in the rain,” he says. Interior designer Paul Somerville serves on Hoboken’s historic preservation commission. He calls cobblestones “eyewitness objects to our past. Streetscapes are more than just buildings,” he says. “They extend to the effort to preserve cobblestone streets and street furniture such as gazebos, old benches, former public service gas lamps, and old cast iron street car poles.”
“They also have a natural street calming effect,” he says. “You can’t speed on cobblestones. And they’re completely green. They don’t use any petroleum byproducts as does asphalt, and they’re infinitely reparable. You take out a patch to do roadwork and put them all back like the pieces of a puzzle.”
Gomez says he’s read about wooden cobblestones that were installed because of the noise of hooves and wagon wheels on stone. “But of course they rotted in the rain,” he says. Interior designer Paul Somerville serves on Hoboken’s historic preservation commission. He calls cobblestones “eyewitness objects to our past. Streetscapes are more than just buildings,” he says. “They extend to the effort to preserve cobblestone streets and street furniture such as gazebos, old benches, former public service gas lamps, and old cast iron street car poles.”
“They also have a natural street calming effect,” he says. “You can’t speed on cobblestones. And they’re completely green. They don’t use any petroleum byproducts as does asphalt, and they’re infinitely reparable. You take out a patch to do roadwork and put them all back like the pieces of a puzzle.”
Here are the six remaining cobblestone streets of Jersey City: