History in Our Midst - The Old Post Office Building at 10 River Edge Road
A Journey into River Edge
Our history locally is rooted in the Revolutionary War period, and especially the Bridge that Saved a Nation.
But history and what is important can come from more recent times and places as well.
One such place sits as a gateway to River Edge at Old Bridge – the bridge that connects New Milford to River Edge along River Edge Road.
Interestingly, recent construction work on the River Edge Borough Hall has not only breathed new life into the municipal center on Kinderkamack Road, but also to this little building on River Edge Road – a structure that had been much overlooked and perhaps threatened with demolition. These days it is housing the River Edge Building Department and sports a fresh coat of paint and a refreshed look after being prepped for its present use.
The address is officially 10 River Edge Road – just across the driveway from the River Edge train station.
For many years it was eclipsed by the classic River Edge Train station and the efforts to have that structure reinforced and preserved. With that task seemingly having been achieved, many have turned there attention just across the driveway at that little building right next to the river.
Believed to have been adapted to its present form in 1928, the structure can be seen in photos from the early 20th century has seen various uses as part of this community. Some recall it as a coffee stand for commuters heading to the train. To many it is an integral part of the streetscape of River Edge, and is a place of history.
We include a picture of it when it was used as a post office (In the days that mail would be delivered by train. Delivery was similarly made to the North Hackensack Post Office that was situated next to the tracks in the North Hackensack train station, later the home of Jay’s Fish Market, before it moved across Grand Avenue next part of a candy store next to the tracks).
Allen Mock, who passed along a suggestion for us to do a posting on the building, contributed a photograph of a River Dell varsity jacket from decades ago that was from Mac’s Sport Depot at 10 River Edge Road.
So, we have the place as post office, a sports shop, a coffee stand, the headquarters of the River Edge Shade Tree Commission and now the River Edge Building Dept.
Do you have anything to add as we reconstruct a history for that little but revered building near the NJ Transit station?
In a county in which history is routinely being demolished, we welcome the queries about the location and hope it helps facilitate a thoughtful local discussion about its future as well as many other places of history in our midst.
Progress is inevitable. So is change. We can only hope that it is done in a thoughtful manner taking into account the rights, interests and sensibilities of all, as much as is feasible in an imperfect world.
