111-Year History On Broughton Avenue - No Matter the Name

You’d be hard pressed, I believe, to find a group and structure that has endured as long as the Prince Joseph Poniatowski Beneficial Association and Essex Manor Bar & Grill in Bloomfield.

This, folks, is true history, right smack in the center of a town named after a Revolutionary War general. Walk through the Essex Manor & Grill, the earliest part of which was an old farmhouse purchased back in 1910, and see the history on the wall in photos of famed Bloomfield High School sports coaches like Bill Foley and George Cella, All-American Bengal Kelly Tripucka and more. Feel the tradition as you climb the stairs and dine in the bar area.

True Bloomfield, New Jersey.

“There are some people that come here now that used to come here in the past, and can’t believe how it all (Essex Manor) looks today,” said Richard Koscielak, who has served as the Essex Manor president since 1988. He then recalled with a smile, “One couple wanted to see the rooms again.”

The first meeting of the Third Maroon Battalion (the name at that time) was May 3, 1896 at the home of original member Zygmunt Levandoski. Fifteen men attended, all representing Bloomfield’s Polish population back then.

“A lot of people migrated from Europe to the United States, partly from northern Europe to the United States," Koscielak explained. "What people wanted – like my parents – was a place to meet up with acquaintances they knew in Europe and socialize with new friends.”

The organization was incorporated as a non-profit in 1900, the name officially changed to honor Polish General Prince Joseph Poniatowski, and the purchase of the farmhouse in 1910 from Mrs. Pelagia Zbikowski cemented the initial permanent quarters.

"The spot,” said Koscielak, was selected because of its close proximity to Polish parish Saint Valentine’s Roman Catholic Church and surrounding Polish homes in the area.

As time progressed, membership grew, and so did the need for additional space. In 1917, a building committee was established, and in 1923, the hall was completed. The hall was named the “White Eagle,” a symbol of power and strength in the Polish tradition.

The White Eagle Manor became a landmark in the township and county. Bloomfield’s American Savings & Loan Association had its modest beginnings on the second floor of the new hall in one of the current smaller party rooms over the bar. People came during the week for affairs, theatrical events and sports - and on weekends, for dancing. The bar was often four-deep Saturdays.

“In the '50s to '70s, you didn’t miss it; it was the place to meet. It was a classy club,” recalled Koscielak, whose father, Kazimier, was a member of the executive committee in 1970.  

In 1968, a $250,000 renovation project was undertaken. The upstairs hall was remodeled to remove the stage and the remodeling project included new red carpeting, new heating and air conditioning, imported chandeliers and new tables and chairs. The renovations were completed just in time for New Year’s Eve in 1968.

From the mid-70s to mid-80s, things economically slipped a bit for the White Eagle Manor due to inflation and deaths of longtime members. Reorganization was needed, and the name was changed to the Essex Manor.

“We ran entertainment for quite a few years,” said Koscielak, citing the Shorty Cross Trio as being a very successful band to appear. “The public (non-members) sometimes had a hard time figuring out what this large structure was. In the '60s and '70s there were 'beer' signs in the Bar & Grill windows. We had them removed, because it detracted from the catering business.

“The first order of business was to get the outside presentable, and then get the hall in order. Then we enhanced and modernized the bar.”

Dining is now available at the Essex Manor Bar & Grill, as the Panico family - famed for their fine dining eatery Panico's in New Brunswick, NJ - now present a The Essex Manor Grand Ballroom can accommodate 450 people, and the lower level Renaissance Room 120. There are also two smaller rooms over the bar that can accommodate 20 and 60 respectively.

Essex Manor Bar & Grill
41 Broughton Avenue
(973) 748-6590