From left: Roger Gross, donor and president of NIA National Realty; Bergen County Historical Society President Beverly Hashimoto; Building Chair Deborah Powell; BCHS Fundraising Advisory Committee Leader Joe Langan; Bergen County Administrator Tom Duch; River Edge Mayor Tom Papaleo; Bergen County Clerk John Hoga; Fairleigh Dickinson University Executive Director of Community Relations Anita Rivers and former Bergen County Executive Pat Schuber were among those on hand in early October to break ground on a new 3,750-square-foot museum for the Bergen County Historical Society. — Courtesy: BCHS
By Joshua Burd
Construction is underway on a new museum that will showcase Bergen County’s storied history, part of a multiphase project that could also include a pavilion and expanded exhibit spaces.
Leaders with the Bergen County Historical Society, which is spearheading the effort, joined donors, elected officials and others last week at Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge to break ground on the 3,750-square-foot facility. Plans call for modern galleries, safe and climate-controlled storage for BCHS’s extensive collection and full ADA accessibility, the organization said, noting that it will serve as a hub for school programs, rotating exhibits and community events while providing the infrastructure needed to preserve historic artifacts.
“This building will finally give our history a permanent home — space to present exhibits, welcome school groups and connect visitors with the extraordinary Revolutionary War stories that unfolded on these very grounds,” BCHS President Beverly Hashimoto said. “But it will go far beyond the Revolution. The museum will tell the broader story of Bergen County life, from the indigenous people who lived along the Hackensack River to the early Dutch settlers and the generations that followed.”
The project is part of BCHS’s ongoing effort to expand Historic New Bridge Landing into a year-round destination for learning and heritage tourism, according to a news release. Fundraising efforts for future phases are ongoing, the organization said, noting that it hopes to complete the plan for the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
“Our family is proud to support a museum that tells the full story of Bergen County — from its earliest inhabitants to the industrial innovators and suburban communities that helped define modern America,” said Paul Gross, a major donor and lifelong Bergen County resident who grew up in Teaneck. “It will be a place where students and families can learn, reflect and take pride in the history that shaped our region.”
