UC recognizes history with dedication and marker
Union City will be holding the Pietro di Donato Square Dedication and Historical Marker Unveiling Ceremony on May 22 at 12 p.m. at Bergenline Avenue and 31st Street, where novelist and screenwriter Pietro di Donato once lived.
Members of Pietro di Donato’s family will be present, including his son, Richard di Donato, and di Donato’s friends Evan Louison and Mike DeAngelis. Other guest speakers will include City Historian Gerard Karabin; Associate Historian Jane Pedler; and Dr. Fred Gardaphe, Distinguished Professor of English and Italian-American Studies at Queens College/CUNY and the John D. Calandra Italian-American Institute; members of the Union City Historical Preservation Committee, including Justin Mercado and Joseph Botti.
There will be live music by the Alan Quinn Orchestra and a special performance by Alexander Diaz. Refreshments will be served. Everyone from the community is invited to attend.
This event will mark the third historical marker placed in the City of Union City honoring those persons who have made historical contributions to the city and society as a whole.
The city is planning a series of events honoring people and places of historical significance.
Yeshiva to open in West New York
According to a Jewish website, www.chabad.info, a new Yeshiva (an academy for the advanced study of Jewish texts) will open in West New York for the upcoming school year.
The announcement was made on Monday but does not state where exactly in West New York the academy will be located. It said that it will be situated in a “spacious building that boasts many Shiur rooms, a dormitory, and a nice size Zal.” It is expected that the academy will be able to house hundreds of students at full capacity.
Although West New York is known for its high Cuban population, it also has a small Jewish population, and contains both a nearly 100-year-old Orthodox synagogue and a school for Jewish children.
UC site considered ‘endangered’ by Preservation NJ
A Union City site was included on this year’s “10 Most Endangered Historic Sites” list, released on Tuesday by Preservation New Jersey. The annual list is meant to draw attention to “remarkable sites” and the preservation challenges they face.
This year the Monastery of the Perpetual Rosary (commonly referred to as the Blue Chapel) on 14th Street in Union City, which was constructed between 1912 and 1914, was included on the list after being nominated by a local resident.
It was the first monastery dedicated to the recitation of the Perpetual Rosary in the United States. Although the monastery was well maintained for many decades, after the number of resident nuns and finances dwindled, the chapel deteriorated and was vacated in summer of 2009.
Plans were announced later that year to renovate and expand the monastery for approximately 100 housing units and underground parking. However, following negative public reaction, the plans were put on hold.
Caretakers have previously indicated that the building will likely be abandoned or sold, but the future of the vacant Blue Chapel is uncertain.
Founded in 1978, Preservation New Jersey advocates and promotes historic preservation as a sustainable strategy to protect and enhance the vitality and heritage of New Jersey’s richly diverse communities. It is the only statewide private membership-supported historic preservation organization in New Jersey.
The organization puts out the 10 Most Endangered List annually with the hope that inclusion on the list will be a catalyst for positive change and creative solutions for the locations’ preservation.
Ecuadorian Independence Day observed in Union City
A ceremony commemorating Ecuador’s Independence Day of “24 de Mayo del 1822 Batalla del Pichincha” will be held in Union City on May 24 at 6 p.m. at Vicente Rocafuerte Plaza located on 43rd Street between New York and Palisades avenues, adjacent to the Union City Public Library.
The ceremony will include several invited guest speakers and the raising of the
Ecuadorian flag. Everyone in the community is invited to attend.
Military can ride ferry for free during Fleet Week
Continuing a 23-year tradition, NY Waterway is providing free commuter ferry service and sightseeing tours for all active duty military personnel and veterans during Fleet Week, May 26 to June 2.
Service men and women must present ID showing their active duty or veteran status to ride free. Reservations are recommended for sightseeing tours.
NY Waterway Tours include: the 90-Minute Skyline Cruise, departing from the West 38th Street Tours Terminal; the 90-Minute City Lights Cruise, departing from the West 38th Street Tours Terminal beginning May 29, and the Gateway to America Cruise, departing from the Battery Maritime Building next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
For schedules, prices and additional information please call 1-800-533-3779, visit www.nywaterway.com or www.facebook.com/nywaterway.