 Halcyon Park Neighborhood Association |
| About our logo... |
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Halcyon Park in the News! Read the article about Halcyon Park from the January 17 edition of the Star Ledger: Neighborhood snapshot: Halcyon Park. The Photo below is from that article.
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Spring in Halcyon Park
 Photo by Charles Burns | |
 Photo by Charles Burns |
 Photo by Charles Burns |
 | Halcyon Park was developed as a private residential park with all the advantages of the city and all the surroundings of a country estate. Halcyon Park is a planned community of homes, with trees and shrubs, picturesque cottages, lakes, spacious grounds, a clubhouse, tennis courts, and stables. The most remarkable thing about this private residential park was that it was developed for individuals of moderate means. The park is now maintained by the Township of Bloomfield and is home to an ethnically diverse group of citizens. |
At one time, in the early part of the 20th century, there were two lakes in Halcyon Park. "Lake of the Oaks" and "Shell Lake." Shell Lake, the smaller of the two lakes, was located in the green area near 28 Parkway West. It was filled in many years ago. Lake of the Oaks, the larger lake, is what is known today as the Halcyon Park Pond. |  |
 | In 1995, Halcyon Park was designated eligible for the National Register of Historic Places "as an intact collection of early 20th century residential housing in a planned setting reflecting attention to open space and neighborhood character." To learn more about the history of Halcyon Park, visit HalcyonParkHistoricDistrict.com |
Halcyon Park Neighborhood Association Officers
Daniel Natal, President
(Vacant) Vice President
Millie Harris, Publicity Director
Norma Borja Kroll, Beautification Coordinator
Jim Blaszak, Traffic/Public Safety Coordinator
Aurea Natal, Treasurer
Kate Grande, Secretary
Susana
Sotillo, Secretary
Rich Rockwell, Web Master
Mission Statement and Goals
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We are a group of concerned citizens who have come together in an effort to maintain and expand the amenities found in Halcyon Park. We take pride in working with the Department of Public Works director and staff to improve the quality of life for Halcyon Park residents. We feel indeed fortunate to live in this neighborhood. This is a unique oasis in the south end of Bloomfield and it is our civic duty to preserve the unique character of Halcyon Park. In 1993, Michael Lo Conte formed the Halcyon Park Environmental Committee (HPEC) in an effort to restore and beautify Halcyon Park. He, along with several committed volunteers, was responsible for a number of vital improvements: the installation of a circulation pump and fountainhead; the construction of the raised flowerbed and planting of shrubbery; and the installation of a flagpole. Mike Lo Conte worked very hard for over two years to maintain the suburban character of Halcyon Park. Most of the original members of the Halcyon Park Environmental Committee moved away. For a while, there was very little activity in the park. The HPEC was restructured and became the Halcyon Park Neighborhood Association. Many new families from diverse backgrounds have moved into Halcyon Park. Officers of the Halcyon Park Neighborhood Association are actively recruiting new members to help them plan a variety of civic activities. Please volunteer to serve your community and get involved! |
Photo Album |
| Photos by Residents |
| Night Out August 7th 2007 |
| July 8th 2007 |
| July 4th 2005 |
| Neighborhood Association Meeting September 18, 2001 |
| Halloween Parade 2000 |
Have any photos you'd like to contribute?
Send them to Rich Rockwell at rrockwell@comcast.net
Halcyon Park Trivia
| Ever Wonder Why...
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Have you ever wondered why many houses in Halcyon Park have small enclosed porches on the back as in the examples below? |
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| These types of porches were called provision porches or service porches. They were common on houses built in the 1920's. They allowed a delivery person to deliver ice and milk when no one was home and without having to carry ice through the house. Some people kept their ice box on the service porch. Some service porches had windows that allowed access to the ice box just inside the kitchen. Most of these porches have been remodeled over the years to convert them into mud rooms, kitchen extensions or power rooms. | |||
| Mystery Photo | |
 Joe Siciliano and Charles Burns correctly identified the mystery photo (above) from our Spring website trivia challenge as a bas-relief sculpture from the abandoned South Junior High School building on Franklin Street. | The photo of the sculpture was extracted from the photo below showing its position on the school building.  |
| Below are some other photos of the South Junior High School building. | ||
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| Photos are from the collection of the State Historic Preservation Office in Trenton | ||
| Ann Weber Hoyt - Halcyon Park Celebrity
Read about Ann Weber Hoyt, World Champion Archer who grew up at 69 Fontain Avenue, pictured here with her parents, Anthony John Weber and Beatrice Sophia Clexton. |  |
| What do you call it?
Have you ever wondered what you call this common Halcyon Park type of roof? |  |
 | This style of roof is called a jerkin-head or clipped gable roof. From The Houses We Live In, Jeffrey Howe, 2002 |
Halcyon Days
Reminiscing about Halcyon Park
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From Jim Earp, formerly of 59 Lexington Ave I grew up in Halcyon Park during the 60s and 70s. I lived at 59 Lexington and my wife, Lisa Keck, lived at 6 Halcyon Place. I can't tell you how many memories your site brought back to us. The pictures of the pond and the "then and now" links are incredible. We always thought "the park" (as we called it) was a company town for Westinghouse way back when. All we had to do was tell someone you lived in the "park" and they knew exactly where we were from. We have so many memories of living there and every so often we would drive through just to see what it looks like. We haven't been back in a few years, but your site brought it all back to us again. We both attended Berkely School and South. It's a real shame what the town has let happen to South. I moved away after high school, but after my wife and I married we lived for a time at 126 Harrison Street (across from Zarro's Funeral Home), a stone's throw from the Franklin Ave end of the park. What memories. Jim Earp JEarp@comcast.net, April 26, 2008 |
