Metuchen Borough Hall

The Metuchen Municipal Building, located at 500 Main Street, is the town hall for the borough of Metuchen in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The two-story concrete building, with brick facade, was built in 2003 and dedicated on September 1, 2005.^[4][5]

Metuchen Borough Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Postcard image taken within a few years of its construction in 1924[1]
Show map of Middlesex County, New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Show map of the United States
Location	500 Main Street Metuchen, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°32′38″N 74°21′47″W
Built	1924
Architect	Clement W. Fairweather
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
Demolished	2002
NRHP reference No.	01000503[2]
NJRHP No.	3778[3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 5, 2001
Designated NJRHP	March 23, 1988

Metuchen Municipal Building in 2018

Historic building

The building replaced an earlier structure, the Metuchen Borough Hall, that had been built during the City Beautiful movement in 1924.^[6] It was demolished soon after its listing on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places in 2001. It had been listed due to its significance in architecture and politics/government.^[7]

The listing of the original Borough Hall as a historic site was controversial as it was unilaterally submitted by a small community activist group called the "Fairweather Friends" As a result of this listing, lawmakers made changes so that any public building could not be listed on a historic places list unless the governing body of that public building agrees to such a listing. The intent of this legal change was to insure that the entire public and not just one particular group seeking a historic designation is represented when these decisions are made on public buildings.^[8]

It was designed by Metuchen architect Clement W. Fairweather and included space for borough offices, a library, and a police station. The two-story building was built of brick using Flemish bond and featured Classical Revival architecture with columns, pilasters, and a decorative stone cartouche with a Classical shield.^[7]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, New Jersey

References

1. "Library History". Metuchen Public Library.
2. "National Register Information System – Metuchen Borough Hall (#01000503)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
3. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Middlesex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. September 28, 2021. p. 4.
4. Chang, Kathy (23 January 2008). "O'Brien reflects on legacy". Edison Metuchen Sentinel. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
5. Stephen Winter Associates (9 December 2009). "Energy Audit Final Report For Borough of Metuchen, Borough Hall" (PDF). njcleanergy.com. New Jersey Clean Energy Program. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
6. "Metuchen Edison History Features - Boro Hall Statement of Significance".
7. Zerbe, Nancy L.; Reuter, Tyreen (March 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Metuchen Borough Hall". National Park Service. With accompanying 10 photos
8. "Assembly Bill to Prevent "Fairweatherism"" (PDF). Metuchen Edison Review. December 21, 2001.