Original 1940's marketing brochure for 10 North Ridgewood Apartments archived

Thought this was interesting ... Exclusively Your Country Home, in a "restricted section."

http://ridgewoodcommons.com/SOC09Original1937SalesBrochure_1.pdf

The floorplan layout is from the same era. It looks like bedrooms were called chambers and dining rooms were called galleries. I can't figure out the difference between a studio and a living room.

http://ridgewoodcommons.com/FloorPlan%20from%20Brochure.pdf

Wow, "restricted section". Two guesses what that meant.

In the 1930's my grandfather who had come over from the other side bought 30 grave sites from a cemetery in Linden. On the deeds it stated that they were to be used to inter Caucasians only. My grandfather barely read English so I doubt that he looked at the deeds.

For several years the family had no need for the grave sites. Then one of the men who worked for my grandfather in his small restaurant passed away. He had no family and no one to make the arrangements for him. My grandfather decided to inter him in one of our family plots. The man was not Caucasian. When one of my uncles pointed that out to his dad.........my uncle could have cared less but he was just passing along the information...........my grandfather, who was a mountain of a man looked up with a big smile on his face.

"Who is going to stop me" he asked holding his magnificent butcher knife in his hand. Some how the death certificate was made un readable when some grease from the restaurant spilled on it...........ironic play on words there

So today we have a dozen relatives resting in those grave sites...........everyone having a name ending in s. All but one.

And also when I am just a little overwhelmed I picture my grandfather standing there in his restaurant whites saying "who is going to stop me?"

Very cool. Thanks for posting. I've always been kind of fascinated by that building.

Hysterical, any idea what the rents were?

Love the brochure and author's story. Thanks for posting.

marylago said:

Love the brochure and author's story. Thanks for posting.

+1

(and I never knew there was a "motion picture theater" in SO!)

What public school was at #6 in the legend?

doulamomma said:

marylago said:

Love the brochure and author's story. Thanks for posting.

+1

(and I never knew there was a "motion picture theater" in SO!)

Yes, there was a movie theater, east of Village Hall on South Orange Avenue.

sarahkate said:

What public school was at #6 in the legend?

That was the old South Orange Junior High, originally Columbia High School before the current high school was built.

very interesting

The movie theater was called the Cameo and was there for many years. The SO Junior High had no property around it so outside gym classes were in Cameron Field. You would see the kids marching down SO Ave with their teachers.

Wow, thanks for posting that! Lots of history there. Are those apartments still rentals? What happened to the SO Junior High? I guess they tore it down?

The website states that they are now renting and were just renovated. Any idea how much these run for a two bedroom?

I've never been inside, but I've talked to residents who say it's very nice and well maintained. As a neighbor, I can testify that they do a terrific job of keeping their sidewalks clear in winter.

According to Zillow, it appears to still be a rental building.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/10-N-Ridgewood-Rd-APT-202-South-Orange-NJ-07079/2120481866_zpid/

They are rentals. I've been in one and it was only one bedroom, but nice and roomy. Parquet floors, big rooms and windows, small but updated galley kitchen, decent sized updated bathroom. The building itself is a little rickety, though, and you have to park in the middle school parking lot.