Junior High School #1/ Martin Luther King Jr. School

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Occasionally while writing posts for this blog, I hit roadblocks when doing research. Trenton's Junior High School #1 is no exception. The historic structure is one of two schools that shared property between MLK Jr. Boulevard and Brunswick Avenue. The other was the original Jefferson Elementary School.

The exterior design of the school is beautiful, and hasn't been corrupted much over the years. The imposing facade along MLK Boulevard is a great example of collegiate gothic architecture. The limestone trim and ornamentation has fared well, especially in contrast to the weathered brick that encapsulates it.

Stepping inside was a bit of a disappointment, as the building was clearly a hotspot for taggers and other vandals. As we worked our way through the building, there were still plenty of historic elements throughout the structure to keep our interest.

The main draw for me when I visit abandoned schools is the auditorium. Though many have been modernized over the years, that never happened here. What remained was almost a time capsule, if the damage done by those who visited before me can be overlooked.

 The school continued to impress me as we wandered around. The building had a pool installed in the late 1960s, which would be the last major improvement the building got.

The school also had a full sized gymnasium, with fat lancet windows. I haven't seen that in any of the other abandoned schools I've visited, which at the time this post was written includes roughly 40 different facilities in 8 different states.

At some point, the school was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. High School. The Trenton School District shuttered both schools in 2007, leaving the large portion of property completely disused. It wouldn't be for long though, as plans for a new school were approved for the land. The Jefferson school was demolished in 2008, starting with the auditorium.

After the demolition of the Jefferson school was completed, the machines turned on the Junior High School building. Working from the rear once again, they leveled a large section of building that stood behind the original structure. Normally that would be where the auditorium sits. Thankfully and strangely, the auditorium of this school was in a wing off the left side of the main entrance. For some reason demolition was never completed, and the historic main section of the building was left to rot.

The new school currently occupies the southeast portion of the lot, in the shadow of the grand old building which takes up the entire north side of the property. While I remain hopeful something will become of the school, Trenton has a piss poor reputation when it comes to saving their historic school buildings.  I'll continue to check up the site until I have something new to write.

Elizabeth General Medical Center

The roots of this historic New Jersey health care complex go back to 1877, when the "Elizabeth General Hospital and Dispensary" was formed. The need for healthcare in the growing city was paramount, and just two short years later the hospital was officially incorporated. In 1880, several local doctors aquired property on Jaques Street, and with that the hospital was ready to tackle the growing needs of the population. The original complex consisted of a small home like building with a detached surgical pavilion and laundry building. As the years began to pass, public support for a larger building was growing. Massive fundraising efforts were launched, and eventually the necessary capitol was raised. Those involved with donating and raising the funds were given a mention in the newspaper at the time. In 1894, the hospital complex moved to the corner of E. Jersey and Reid Streets. The new building was much larger, featuring more office  and care space, and a new wing dubbed the Blake Memorial Hospital for Women. There were also two separate pavilions for patients dubbed contagious.

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The hospital formed what was called "The Daisy Ward". It was the area in the hospital children were relegated to. One important player in the formation of the ward was Eliza Grace Halsey. She was an advocate for the ward, donating money and time to try and spread the word. One surviving example of Miss Halsey's efforts is a letter published in a local paper. She spoke to the children of Elizabeth, asking them to donate their pocket change to the new ward, rather than spending it on candy and toys for themselves. She was ultimately successful in her efforts, and the collective was able to make the ward a reality.

The hospital continued to expand into the 1900's. Large brick buildings replaced the humble shingle style structures. The new buildings were still quite elegant, boasting ornamental limestone detailing like this band that ran below the roofline. 

In the late 50's or early 60's The largest wing to be added to the the hospital site was the maternity ward. The yellow brick wing stood in stark contrast to the aestetically pleasing brick structures. Another small wing was added in 1966, bringing the total building size to 350,000 square feet. The new complex occupied almost the entire block and towered over it. The campus was even visible from the New Jersey Turnpike. 

Despite the long and storied history of the hospital, EGMC merged with St Elizabeth's to form the Trinitas Medical Group in 2000. Hospital operations were moved to the former St Elizabeth's campus. After a few years of remaining partially open, the Elizabeth General Medical Center was officially shuttered.

The complex stood vacant until 2012, when a partial demolition occurred. The power plant and an attached section of the building were removed, leaving a large gap in the lot between the hospital and parking garage. The vacant and overgrown hospital campus became a magnet for crime, and with that came a push to finish the demolition that was stalled for years. In 2017, demolition resumed on the campus. The beautiful brick buildings were abated and emptied, and by the end of the year there was almost nothing left of the once important campus. 

I didn't make my way inside the old hospital complex until the second spate of demolition was well underway. As I parked my car, I looked around the neighborhood at all the people going about their business. Knowing I wasn't going to have another chance, I threw on my high-vis construction vest and hard hat and headed on in. The stories i'd heard about criminal activity around the abandoned hospital kept me on my toes as I walked alone through the barren halls. Thankfully nobody followed me in, or found me inside, and I was able to get my own little tour in before the final walls came down.

Now the Elizabeth General Medical Center is no more. The complex was built through the efforts of the community, saw thousands and thousands of patients cared for, and scores of nurses trained. However, just like many other historic hospitals in New Jersey, it's been demolished in an unceremonious fashion and is on the path to being completely forgotten.

The Broadway/Paramount Theater

The broadway district in Long Branch used to be home to two theaters, both owned and operated by Walter Reade. The first, appropriately named the Broadway Theater, opened in 1912.

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The theater had a long but tumultuous history.  Reade opened the Strand Theater across the street in the 1920's, and by 1930 the Broadway closed officially for the first time. This was not long lived, as Leon Cubberly was given the task of redesigning the interior of the auditorium for it's grand reopening. The style chosen was a standard atmospheric design, with Spanish-Moorish influence. By 1931, the theater was reopened with a new name and a new auditorium. The new Paramout Theater had just over 1700 seats between the balcony and orchestra levels.

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This run would not last long, as once again in 1959 the theater was shut down by Walter Reade. Reade had just modernized the Strand Theater, which itself was newer than the Paramount, as well as dozens of other theaters he owned. Instead of giving the Paramount the same treatment, he planned to demolish the building in 1961. Thankfully he never went through with it, and instead the building sat vacant.

Reuse plans were pitched in 1965, but they were dashed before anything happened. In the mid 1970s, new plans were drafted to convert the building into a dinner theater/live performance venue. Unfortunately, much like the plans to modernize the venue in 1965, the project never went anywhere. At some point the seats were removed, and Siperstein's Paint used the auditorium for warehouse space.

In 1998, hope was once again sparked for potential reuse of the theater. A group called the "Greater Long Branch Arts Council" formed a plan for the entire Broadway district. The theater was set to be restored as part of the revitalization of the city. However, the plans were scrapped around 2005. By then the Strand was long gone, having been demolished a decade prior, and the auditorium of the Paramount was in terrible disrepair.

Despite interest in the restoration, Sipersteins abandoned the auditorium in 2011, leaving all sorts of garbage and shelving on the orchestra level.

I had visited the theater building around 2014, and there wasn't any way inside the structure. I went back a few years later, to find the entire area had changed. The houses that once surrounded the theater were gone. The whole lot was torn up, and demolition equipment was on site. I didn't have my camera with me, but I parked and popped inside a recently exposed entrance. As I sat alone inside the large former auditorium, I knew my time to enjoy the building was limited. The next day I returned with a friend and my camera, and we spent some more time taking photos and poking around.

The final chapter of the history of the theater came to a close in 2017, when the auditorium was finally demolished to make way for parking. Long Branch has begun a resurgence in development and popularity, and with that comes a need for more parking for beachgoers and other tourists.

While it would have been nice to see this theater restored and put back to use, the current stewardship of the city had other plans. As they say, "Oh well...."