free fun at monroe center today

The Monroe Center for the Arts today is throwing open its doors for some creative inspiration. Beginning at 12 noon today - there will be all kinds of free things to check out, including dance performances, local studio tours of artists, a live music workshop and a reading by the Mile Square Theater. Click here for more info. Also the Shades bar will be open for the day to nourish and give you a buzz.

The weather's beautiful, come out and enjoy your neighborhood!

P.S. There's been some recent action on Monroe Center - they have recently demolished a structure connecting the two existing buildings, seen from the rear (pictured above) and the front:



This open space area between the two buildings will eventually be a charming courtyard. All retail will have windows and entrances onto this public area. A piazza of sorts. Let's hope it becomes usable this spring/summer so we can enjoy it sooner rather than later.

They've also built a sexy new luxury condo on the property. It's a bit small, and only has one window, but it's fabulous! Just kidding, it's a ticket booth for the parking lot:

self guided artist studio tour starts now!

Want to explore over one hundred different artist studios today? Well now's your chance. With a very cool self guided walking tour of Hoboken's creative community, today is the perfect Fall day to get inspired. For more information click here!

And just in time, the Monroe Center for the Arts has finally finished their sidewalks, so go ahead and brings the kids, they now won't have to run the risk falling into unfinished sidewalk ditches!


Monroe has also planted some new trees, however they are currently being strangled by low hanging utility wires. So until someone fixes that little unsightly problem, I'll spare you the horrendous pictures.

Enjoy the day today!

princeton stained glass - production studio and showroom

Directly across the street from our beloved Shoprite, is the qaint corner lot home of the Princeton Stained Glass Co. Has anyone had work done by them in NW Hoboken? If so please let me know. From what is posted on their website, it looks like their artisans are very talented in both residential and commercial work. HH would love to take a tour of their facility sometime.

Princeton Stained Glass
931 Madison Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-217-1771
zach@princetonstainedglass.com


In case you can't find their studio, just keep a look out for the understated street numbers that are hung on the green fence attached to their building:


Here's a peak of their backyard. Looks like a nice relaxing space:


Here's the side view, which borders the south end of 1000 Jefferson. A strange dichotomy of buildings, but interesting nonetheless:


Upon further inspection, you can see the faint remnants of the old Renegage Theater, which must have closed sometime before 2002, when Princeton Stained Glass moved into the space. In doing a little digging to uncover the history of the Renegade Theater, I discovered that its founder, Mary Carpenter, passed away late last year. Here' a shot of the old stage door:


Here's a little info on the founder of Renegage, which was taken from Skidmore College's website. Renegade must have been quite a place!

"Mary “Betsy” Carpenter ’77 of Nahant, MA, died December 11 after a long illness. A classical-studies major, she was an assistant director and actress with playwright David Mamet and became an artistic director and literary manager for Chicago’s Goodman Theatre. She founded and guided the Renegade Theater in Hoboken, NJ, for which she won the Governor Award for Artistic Excellence in 1984. A faculty member in the graduate playwriting and literature programs at Emerson College in Boston for 15 years, she was also a fiber artist and a Web master for Harvard University. The Betsy Carpenter Playwriting Award has been established at Emerson College in her honor. She is survived by husband David Sparr, her mother, a sister, and a brother."

1983 was a colorful year

The year was 1983. Michael Jackson's Thriller album was everywhere. (P.Y.T.) McDonalds unleashed the McNugget. (Hello child obesity!) Return of the Jedi was released in theaters. (Did you cry?) Vanessa Williams won the Miss America crown (Briefly!). And everyone's favorite, crack cocaine, was introduced to the United States. (Oops!) Is was also the year that 5 murals were unveiled in the NW area of Hoboken, among the factories and warehouses. Here is the rest of the series:





The murals are located on Madison and 13th Streets, and are attached to the building that housed the Universal Box Company. Only two of the artists signatures are still visible, but HH is doing ongoing research to determine more of how these murals came to be.





Until then, please enjoy the above images. More to come...