New Jersey Ave School

New Jersey Avenue School was built in 1925 to replace a smaller structure. The old school was racially segregated, while the new building was meant to be integrated. It offered kindergarten all the way through eighth grade. 

The building was designed to be open to the public for concerts and various civic events. Because of this the classrooms were all on one side of the building, apart from the gym and auditorium.

The 350 seat auditorium was beautifully decorated. The stage spanned almost the entire width of the room, while chandeliers hung from the ceiling. 

The gymnasium was tucked away behind stage.

Students from New Jersey Avenue were relocated to the new school on Pennsylvania Ave in 2012. The city intended to fix up the building and put it back to use, but before that could happen superstorm Sandy came through and flooded it. 

I pulled up to the school about a decade later at the end of a long day exploring around the state. I was tired and had no idea how I was going to get inside the building. To my absolute shock the main front door had a missing window just feet from the sidewalk. 

The city police were notorious among local explorers for their swift response to alarms, so seeing the easy access set my nerves at ease. 

The city left everything inside the school when it closed, and after the flooding during Sandy everything was deemed a loss. 

Power had been left on for several more years after the closure, powering the alarms and preventing burglars from getting inside. Unfortunately once it was cut the scrappers wasted no time ripping the place apart looking for copper. 

It was announced that the school would be demolished in 2025 and replaced by a new administration building for the Board of Education. A press briefing was held outside the vacant school featuring several lovely former staff members, as well as the scandal plagued superintendent of schools La'quetta Small. 

During the early stages of the demolition process the building was accidently set on fire by one of the workers. The blaze was so severe several local news outlets reported on it, which is how I found out the school was being demolished. 

The school is now part of a growing list of historic educational facilities demolished across the state in the last decade. I'm grateful I was able to see the building and document it so it doesn't get completely forgotten to time.

First National Bank of South River

 

Source

First National Bank had established a branch in South River by the turn of the century, but the building we know was built in 1916.

The new building was crafted of buff colored brick with limestone accents. Four 30 foot tall Corinthian columns flanked the brass double doors. 

Inside the teller counters lined both walls, with marble counters and brass and glass teller windows. Two massive vault doors sat at the rear of the room, one for safety deposit boxes and one for the banks reserves. 

Several different banks ended up using the building after First National. One of them heavily dressed down the building. The brass doors were removed and replaced with cheap aluminum ones. The huge windows were removed and replaced with a combination of small aluminum frame and glass block. In an effort to reduce heating and cooling  closts the original glass tray ceiling was removed and covered over from above. A drop ceiling was installed at half height, completely hiding the lovely plaster ceiling which had been punctured several times to hang the grid. 

PNC was the last bank to occupy the space, but they left at the end of 2020. Around the same time, the town started to see a huge construction boom. The building sat vacant for just a few years before a redevelopment plan was announced that called for the entire building to be leveled. 

The building was entirely demolished in October of 2025. Its the first major chunk of Main Street to be erased in decades, so its loss is immediately felt by all who pass by. 109 years of standing proudly just to to eventually end up as fill material somewhere. Such a shame.