In 1895, Archibald A. Campbell constructed the Breadalbane Terrace Tin Row Houses on Lafayette St. This row featured twelve stunning houses adorned with ornate tin facades, of which only seven remain as the last of their kind in Jersey City. Unfortunately, only a handful of these houses still wear their tin armor.
- Nathalie Kalbach -
“Tin Row Houses”: Acrylic Paint and Markers on Canvas, 10x10
A couple years ago, we looked at one of these houses, and I was fascinated by their unique appearance and layout. The architectural detail and beautiful facades are unlike anything I had seen so far - well not surprisingly, as they are as said, the last ones of their kind in a row in Jersey City. They probably have been built by Architect George W. von Arx, I found an article from August 1894 which talks about von Arx having finished his plans for Archibald Campbell for 12 houses to be built at Halladay and Lafayette streets.
These houses are very narrow, almost taking you on vertical journey as you walk through each floor. Each level consists mostly of just one small room in the front with an even smaller one in the back, maximizing the use of the limited space. It is like a vertical apartment! Although the house didn’t quite fit our needs at the time, I couldn’t help but keep an eye on them whenever I walked by.
I looked a bit deeper into their history when I began to paint them on canvas. In 1919, the Pullman Porter Association established the Pullman Porter’s Realty company, which acquired all twelve of the originally built houses. John T. Brown, serving as the company’s president, was also a member of the Committee of One Hundred and the John Brown Building and Loan Association, organizations dedicated to assisting African Americans in Jersey City in obtaining real estate loans and accessing vital financial services. These houses played a significant part in a community that fostered financial empowerment and real estate ownership, leaving an indelible mark on the city’s history.
However the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood, where these houses stand, has undergone substantial changes in the past years, marked by rapid development. It is sad that one of the eight remaining original houses lost its tin facade during a renovation. This raises concerns about the fate of the remaining seven houses with their special facade. Will they survive the ongoing development, or will their current owners be unaware of the treasure they possess?
I hope that someday these architectural, historical and culturally significant tin-armored treasures will be recognized and protected. Losing them would be a tremendous loss for our city.
Come by to my art show at the Museum of Jersey City History this coming weekend and see the painting of the tin houses and some others!