METUCHEN, NJ — The Metuchen History Advisory Committee has released a new self-guided walking tour of the Middlesex Avenue–Woodwild Park Historic District. They have invited residents and visitors to explore 41 historic properties spanning more than two centuries of architecture and local history.
The 89-acre district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 2017, recognized for its significance in architecture, social history, and community planning. It includes 201 contributing buildings, five contributing objects, and one contributing site.
The tour begins at the Metuchen Public Library at 480 Middlesex Ave., itself a historic landmark. The Colonial Revival brick building was constructed between 1935 and 1937 using donated funds and a Works Progress Administration grant, and designed by architect Aylin Pierson.
Among the tour's oldest stops is the Old Franklin Schoolhouse at 491 Middlesex Ave., built around 1807. The Greek Revival structure served as the area's only school until the 1870s and was physically rotated 90 degrees on its site around 1842. Acquired by the Borough Improvement League in 1908, it now functions as a cultural arts center, art gallery, and music venue.
Nearby at 17 Oak Ave. stands St. Luke's Episcopal Church, a Carpenter Gothic structure built around 1868-1869 and long attributed — though not firmly confirmed — to noted architect Richard Upjohn. The church features pointed arches, decorative bargeboards, and a rosette window above its projecting entrance bay.
One of the district's most storied private residences is the Fairweather/Mason House at 245 East Chestnut Ave., a Tudor Revival home designed by architect Clement W. Fairweather and featured in the Feb. 5, 1927 issue of The American Architect. The 1930 census records show it was home to James Gilbert Mason Jr., whose widowed father, the Rev. Dr. James G. Mason — a close friend of Thomas Edison — also resided there. The elder Mason had run for president, governor, and senator on the Prohibition ticket.
At 85 Rector St., the Potter/Lemelson House carries a particularly notable legacy: from the early 1960s through the mid-1980s, prolific inventor Jerome Lemelson lived there. Lemelson, one of the most prolific inventors in U.S. history, held hundreds of patents.
The tour also highlights 300 Middlesex Ave., known as "Woodstock," a commanding Colonial Revival built around 1907-10 and originally owned by the Corbin family — the same family whose generosity preserved Woodwild Park itself. In 1897, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Corbin conveyed the 3.5-acre park to the Woodwild Park Association to be held as a public space for borough residents in perpetuity.
The walking tour map is available as a free PDF download at metuchennj.org or as a printed hard copy at the Metuchen Public Library service desk while supplies last. Visitors are asked to remain on sidewalks and public rights-of-way, as the interiors of all homes are private.
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