Mayor Mapp to honor gift of FUSP building at Council Tuesday

The exterior of the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield.

The Robinson Window bathes the sanctuary in light.

CORRECTION TWO: Mayor Mapp will present the proclamation to FUSP at the Council's business meeting, Tuesday, December 12.

CORRECTION: The last service has already been held in the Park Avenue building; the congregation now meets in the Fanwood Presbyterian Church.

Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp is slated to present a proclamation to the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield (FUSP) at the City Council agenda-setting session set for Tuesday, December 4. (Note the day.)

The Unitarians are donating their building and grounds on Park Avenue, just off 7th Street, to the city, which intends to use the property as a cultural center.

The congregation has worshiped in Plainfield for more than 120  years. The church was built on land donated by Job Male, the principal driver behind Plainfield's incorporation as a city in 1869.

The congregation's president, Melissa Logan, gave a moving presentation to the City Council in November, officially recognizing the offer of the property by the congregation to the City.

As she said, the congregation came to the realization as its membership grew smaller that its mission was not the building, which had become more than the congregation could care for.

So, the congregation will be gathering for worship at the Fanwood Presbyterian Church. The last service in this building will be on Christmas Eve.

As to Job Male's role in the growth of Plainfield, the city was formed out of Plainfield Township, leaving behind the Township of Scotch Plains, from which Fanwood was later created.

A Unitarian himself, Job Male was Plainfield's first real real estate developer, acquiring the land between Watchung Avenue and Park Avenue, bounded on the north by Crescent Avenue and on the south by East 9th Street.

Shrewdly, he donated the choice land on which Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church sits in order to entice the congregation to build near his planned development. He then constructed the "mansionettes" in the Crescent Avenue Historic District (the world's first "McMansions" -- though the term did not exist at the time).

Male also donated the property on which the Plainfield Public Library stands, completing his vision of a self-contained neighborhood, which influenced the development of the city for decades and signaled the turn away from the large mansions that originally lined East Front Street as his development became more fashionable and desirable.

City Council meets on Tuesday, December 4, at 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers / Courthouse at Watchung Avenue and East 4th Street. Parking available on the street and in the lot across from Police Headquarters.

---

 -- Dan Damon [ follow ]

View today's CLIPS  here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.



About Cookies: This blog is operated by Google, which uses cookies to improve the user's experience. By continuing to read this blog you agree to their use.