My partner in detective work recently contacted the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society, knowing that JOB lived in Short Hills for a period. The Betelle cult grows stronger; a member of the Society responded with some great new information, having done considerable detective work:
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“New Grade School Buildings of South Orange and Maplewood, NJ”
The following article by JOB appeared in The American School Board Journal, January, 1926. In it, he outlines the unique structure of the SO/M school system, accompanied by photographs and floorplans of the four initial grade schools. His description is rather understated, considering how huge the project was; the district had essentially planned to build, over a 10 year period, roughly eleven school buildings. JOB designed them all.
New Grade School Buildings of South Orange and Maplewood, NJ
James O. Betelle of the Firm Guilbert and Betelle, Architects.
The Village of South Orange and the Township of Maplewood New Jersey are two separate municipalities. They are entirely independent of each other, but the direction of their educational affairs is vested in a single board of education. In this respect the situation is rather unique, but it has worked out to the advantage of all parties concerned.
The Bronxville School, Bronxville, N.Y.
The December, 1931 issue of The Architectural Forum featured the article, Nine Senior High School Buildings. Two Guilbert & Betelle projects were illustrated; Great Neck High School and The Bronxville School). The text and illustrations for The Bronxville School are shown here.
Interestingly, this school was a collaboration with the architect Harry Leslie Walker, who had some prominence in the area. Why this collaboration occurred is unknown.
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Time Magazine – “School Builder”
This short piece appeared in the Arts section of the August 24th, 1931 issue of Time Magazine. While it doesn’t offer much new factual information about JOB, it does paint a more rounded picture of his life than what we know so far. Hey, he was bald! Note: Updated to include the accompanying photograph and cover.
SCHOOL BUILDER
Proud were the friends and admirers of Architect James O. Betelle of Newark, N. J., last week and proud was Architect Betelle. He had just sent out the plans for Newark’s new Weequahic High School. With that building up, Architect Betelle could say that his firm had designed and supervised the erection of $100,000,000 worth of U. S. educational structures, an all-time world record.
The Betelle Home is Robbed…
It appears that the Betelle’s had a break-in at their home while they were away during the winter of 1941. The full account was printed in the June 6, 1941 edition of The Millburn & Short Hills Item:
$60,000 GEM THEFT HERE
Gaining entrance through a first floor window thieves obtained more than $60,000 in jewelry from the home of James O. Betelle of West Road, Short Hills some time during the absence of the family who had spent the winter in New York.
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