James Betelle, Where Are You?

The Search for a Lost Architect

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The Franklin Murphy House, Newark NJ

October 14th, 2006 · 2 Comments · Architecture, Miscellaneous

The only private residence Guilbert & Betelle designed (that I know of) was the Franklin Murphy House in Newark, New Jersey. Franklin Murphy had quite a life; born in 1846, he fought in the Civil War as a teenager, seeing action at Gettysburg. He went on to found the Murphy Varnish Company in Newark, and [...]

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A Drive Through Newark

August 31st, 2006 · 5 Comments · Architecture, Diary

I ventured back into Newark last week, confident I wouldn’t encounter the shape-shifting roads of my first trip. My goal this trip was to research a number of Betelle-related items at the Essex County Hall of Records. Going there served a dual purpose; not only does the Hall house the deeds and mortgages to all [...]

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A Newark State of Mind

August 6th, 2006 · No Comments · Diary

Driving to Newark isn’t for the faint of heart. Exiting Route 280 into the bowels of the city is like being swallowed by a mobius strip; once you’re inside, there’s no escape. And yet there I was, this past Saturday morning, navigating the one-way (No left turn! No right turn!) streets in a vain attempt [...]

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