Two new exhibits focus on Hoboken's horrific fires during gentrification as museum reopens
There was a time when Hoboken was known as a hardworking, blue-collar city. Sawdust covered the streets from its various factories, and, like many ...
There was a time when Hoboken was known as a hardworking, blue-collar city. Sawdust covered the streets from its various factories, and, like many Hudson County communities in those days, its residents labored in local industries. By the 1970′s, young urban professionals discovered the mile-square city and its proximity to Manhattan. Hoboken became a more desirable place to live. Then the fires began. They were infernos and they cost the lives of 56 people, mostly poor immigrants. These horrific blazes from 1978 to 1982 will be the subject of two exhibits, The Fires: Hoboken 1978-1982, by photo-based artist and arts educator, Christopher Lopez.