A neighborhood that protects its own history
The Hillside Avenue Historic District runs 27 acres between Watchung and Martine, holding some of the finest turn-of-the-century architecture in Union County. We are the neighbors who look after it.
An eclectic composition of elegant buildings
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 1, 1982, the district runs along Hillside Avenue between Watchung and Martine, one lot deep, with a few corner and coach houses on Watchung, Prospect, and Highland. Its houses are predominantly Colonial and Classical Revival, with Shingle, Craftsman, Spanish Colonial, a Queen Anne, and a Second Empire among them — several designed by architect Alexander Milne, including 999 Hillside, a line-for-line replica of the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Association is a non-political volunteer nonprofit. Our charter sets out six purposes:
- Maintain the district as a stable residential neighborhood
- Preserve its historic quality
- Encourage owners to maintain and improve their property
- Keep the area clean and green
- Promote a sense of community
- Advocate for the preservation and beautification of Plainfield
The Association is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity; gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. It is a non-political organization and does not endorse candidates.
A brief history
Plainfield began as a Quaker farming village; the railroad remade it. Set at the foot of the Watchung Mountains and blessed with natural springs, the town earned a reputation as a healthful retreat — dubbed the “Colorado of the East” and nicknamed the “Queen City” after Denver. Wealthy New Yorkers built villas along its wide, tree-lined streets, and by the turn of the century the critic and native son Van Wyck Brooks could call Plainfield “a full-blown Wall Street suburb.”
Hillside Avenue is the finest surviving expression of that era. Laid out with generous lots and a uniform setback, its homes — most built between 1900 and 1925 — have come down to us remarkably intact, with original slate sidewalks, patterned brick walks, mature trees, and period gardens. The district was documented by Plainfield Heritage, Inc. (John A. Grady and Yasmina King) and listed on the National Register in 1982.
The district by the numbers
National Register of Historic Places
The Hillside Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 (reference no. 82003307). Spanning roughly 27 acres, the district takes in thirty-eight contributing houses along Hillside Avenue and adjoining stretches of Watchung and Prospect Avenues — an unusually intact collection of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century architecture: Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival, Dutch Colonial, and Tudor homes built for Plainfield's business and civic leaders.
Read the National Register record
Our 501(c)(3) status
Contributions support preservation advocacy, public education, the annual house tours, and stewardship of the district's historic character.
Explore the district
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit · Plainfield, New Jersey
