AFourth of July parade passes through the intersection of Bloomfield and South Fullerton avenues in 1888.
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DOWNTOWNMONTCLAIR, THENAND NOW
WRITTEN BY JOSEPHRITACCO
Montclair Center is thetraditional commercial hub ofMontclair, running alongBloomfield Avenue for more than amile from the Glen Ridge border to Mountain Avenue. The Montclair Center BusinessImprovementDistrict, anot-for-profit organization established in 2002 bythe local business community to enhance and promote downtown Montclairasaregional shopping, dining and entertainment destination, describes the area as“ classic and edgy, urban and urbane.”
In its earliest days, the streetthat would later become Bloomfield Avenue was known as the Newark Pompton Turnpike, developed by Israel Crane, one of Montclair’ swealthiest early residents. Completed in 1811, the Turnpike soon became the most important thoroughfare between New Yorkand Newark, on the east, and Morris, Sussex and Warren counties tothe west.
In 1877, horse cars began torun on the Turnpike, followed bythe trolley cars around the turn ofthe century. Crane collected tolls for theuse of his road, but when the Morris Canal and the Morris and Essex Railroad were completed, Turnpike traffic declined atiswas eventually turned over tothe County of Essex to operate asafree county road and renamed Bloomfield Avenue.
As it does today, the business community situated on and around Bloomfield Avenue catered tothe needs ofMontclair residents, as well as visitors staying at twoprominent hotels – Mountain House and Hotel Montclair – toescape city life and enjoy the mountain air.
Between 1890-1930, when railroads and trolleys made for amore mobile population, masonryedifices transformed the look of thedowntown area, says Jane Eliasof, executive director ofthe Montclair History Center.
“ The population wasinvolved in benevolent societies, charities, church organizations – there was notelevision, so that’ swhat people did,” says Eliasof.“ Many of the small businesses catered to the needs ofthe people in town,
Themasonry edificesthatline Bloomfield Avenue – pictured here in 1948— began to takeshape in the early 1900s.
including dairies, general stores, hardware stores, seamstresses, tailors and blacksmiths.”
Downtown Montclair, she adds, serves the same purpose today.“ Now people need restaurants,” says Eliasof.
In addition to restaurants, downtownMontclair includes antique shopsand book shops, as well as art galleries at the Montclair Art Museum and live performances at the Wellmont Theater. Perhaps the area can be summedup best by its tagline –“ Montclair Center: where the suburb meets the city.”
PHOTO / MONTCLAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY’ SHISTORIC IMAGE DATABASE
40 SPRING 2018 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE