Workers Reduce the Village to a Pile of Rubble
Demolition of the buildings that once housed the children and staff of St. Joseph's Village has begun during the late months of 2023. Here we present an extensive collection of still images and aerial drone video of the demolition. Dominick Scalcione, a former child of the Village provided the drone footage and most of the images you see here. A former child of the village who asked not to be identified also provided many of the images.
Aerial Photography of the Demolition From Start to Finish
Over half an hour of drone video shot by Dominic Scalcione and edited by Jim Brown. To see the video enlarged, click on the button to view on YouTube where you can select "theater mode" or "full screen."
The Demolition Story With Pictures and Captions
Click on the photos to see an enlargement using a built in viewer called FloatBox.
INSTRUCTIONS
When driving by on Piermount Road in Rockleigh, NJ as the Summer of 2023 nears to an end, the first thing you see missing is the large stone sign marking "St. Joseph's Village." Workers wasted no time moving onto the entrance sign with its inscription, "DEDICATED TO THE CARE AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN THAT THEY MAY GROW IN AGE AND GRACE AND WISDOM INTO GREAT CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTRY AND FAITHFUL MEMBERS OF HOLY MOTHER CHURCH"
Demolition of the shrine of St. Joseph the Worker began early in the project. It apears like the wrecking crew had a change of heart and only got as far as removing the left side panel of the statue setting. It would remain that way till well after all the building are gone.
Another view of the partually demolished shrine.
An escavator parked along the south road exiting the grounds awaits the long task ahead. The project is being carried out by Joseph M. Sanzari Construction Company, under contract with Bergen County the current owners of the property. Engineering is by Negia Engeneering Associates.
A view out a car window of the Sr. Girls Cottage with the windows removed. Before the buildings are demolished, the glass and window frames are removed as well as other recyclable materials doors and utility equipment.
Another view out of a car window.
By this time all the windows and recyclable materials were removed from all the buildings.
The Chapel duting the final days before demolition.
The Convent is to the right of the Chapel. The white roofed structure between the two buildings is the Sister's Chapel.
The Maintenance Building, Cafeteria, and Barbara Jivenaud Cottage await their demise.
As the drone returns to the air several days later, the Infermary, Administration Building, and the three Girls Cottages are gone. Here we see for the first time the Chapel standing alone without any of the familiar buildings around it. The Sister's Chapel remains to the right of the main Chapel and the Convent is also gone.
Off in the distance the Chapel stands all by itself leading us to suspect that they may keep the building, perhaps as a non-demoninational chapel for the proposed health care facility planed for the land.
Piles of masonary rubble is all that remains of several buildings. An eery sight.
A once a paved road leading to a small parking lot in front of the Administration Building. Straight aheadf a sign for the post Village Bergen County nursing home still stands.
The Chapel has plywood covering where stained glass windows were. We were told that the stained glass windows were saved in storage till a suitable home can be found for them. The flag pole still stands.
The gloomy sight of the inside of the Chapel holding tight the final end. A bulletin board remains beside the alter with announcements of recreation events for the nursing home seniors who enjoyed the Chapel as their recreation room in the post Village years. Sunday Mass with the sounds of 200 children singing is just a mere memory.
The bare trees of Fall add to the eerie demise of St. Joseph's Village.
On this day flying over the Village we see that demolition has made its distructive path to the Cafeteria Mother Evangelista School, and much of the Barbara Givenaud Cottage. All that remain of these buildings already demolished is their concrete floor slabs. Soon they too will be removed and the Chapel will be surrounded by just dirt, gravel and seemingly randomly placed trees.
This aerial view is looking East towards what was the Girls end of the Village.
The drone is now heading towards the Auditorium and Boys Cottages. The floor slab of the Convent is at the bottom.
Moving closer we now get a better look at the soon to be demolished Maintenance Building.
At ground level we move towards the Auditorium/Gymnasium Building.
We are now at the parking lot where the children once lined up waiting to go into the school. The two trees on the left flanked the door of Mother Evangelista School.
On the left is now the only remaining wall of the Barbara Jivenaud Cottage. That is the Library at the center bottom and the Auditorium/Gymnasium Building is at the center. A section near the wood shop is gouged out. Behing this building was once the swimming pool which has been filled in several years prior to the current demolition.
Yes, there was a tunnel under the Village as the legend goes. Here we get a good look at a section of main corridor just where it enters the Gymnasium Building. The roof and side walls have been removed, thus exposing a never seen view of the many utility lines that ran below the. Here yo corridor floor. The story that there was a tunnel under the Village is only partly true. It was just a crawl space and was entered through the utility rooms in each building.
TECH DETAIL: Click on this image to see an enlargementu will see sewer lines that ran to the purification plant that once stood in the woods beyond the Senior Boys Cottage. We processed our own sewerage then. There were also large steam pipes that served the variuos buildings. Steam was generated in the Utility Building and distributed to each building for their radient heat systems. The steam circulated in pipes under the floor to heat the rooms. The system was decommissioned when Bergen County replaced it with circulating hot water radiator heat generated within each building. Also high voltage electrical conduits ran from the Maintenance Building to each building's transformers and sub panels. Look closely and you can see one such conduit branching off to the right to enter the Library Building. There was also telephone and annunciator (paging chimes) lines to each building eminating from the Administration Building switchboard. The Village predated internet and cable TV services.
MORE TECH DETAIL: While on the subject of the tunnels, this closeup image reveals much we never knew about their construction. It would be hard to remove concrete forms below the poured concrete corridor floor once they hardened. So it apears that the floor was made up of preformed concrete sections that could be laid in place to create the corridor floor. One such slab is seen here fallen into the crawl space below. The walls of the tunnel are concrete block. It apears here that the wall sections that held up the lolly columns along the corridor were poured concrete as seen every 12 feet or so. This area is flooded out leading us to believe that there was a sump pump in each of the utility rooms to keep the tunnel dry. We never could secretly explore the tunnels as access through the utility rooms was always locked.
The same area, now looking East. At bottom is the Jr. Boys Cottage. The partial aream of demolition of the Gynmasium Building can be seen at the center just left of the wood shop.
Flying further back we now see both the Junior and Intermediate Boys Cottages. The unknown concrewte block structure built post St. Joseph's is seen next to the Intermediate Boys Cottage.
Looking straight down at the Intermediate Boys Cottage.
Now we finally see the Senior Boys Cottage. The small wading pool turned flag pole garden can be seen on the left.
While the drone is in the air lets take a look at the neighboring Rockleigh Industrial Park. While the Village was in operation, Klopman Mills built and occupied the building beside the small lake. The building was later extensively remodled and became the "Jewish Home Family," a senior care facility.
Looking back over the grounds at this point in demolition, so much is gone forever as the story of St. Joseph's Village nears the last trace of its physical existance. But theere are several more days left to completion of demolition to meet the Spring 2024 deadline.
A wide shot showing the Barbara Givenaud Cottage and the Library filly demolishes. Demolition is beginning of the Gymnasium / Auditorium.
This is the stage end of the Auditorium. The pile of broken concrete is in the former band room. The pinkish coloring on the wall is the marking where the band instrument storage compartments were. The swimming pool was once where the dirt is to the left.
The rear portion of the Gymnasium / Auditorium is starting to be demolished.
In this closer look we can see the former outside lobby, projection booth, and the physical education office structure that extended out the rear of the Gymnasiun / Auditorium. For many years that projection booth, with it's movie theater type 35mm carbon arc projectors showed many memorable classic films.
The Gymnasium / Auditorium is at the left top, the library to the botom left, and Mother Evangelista School to the botom right. A large drainage pond was dug between these buildings.
Looking towards the stage one can remember the many times children of the Village peformed there for fund raisers and other events such as Halloween and Christmas parties. Many alumni can remember some of the movies that were projected here. Many athletic activities like basketball were also played in this space. It is anybody's guess if one of the demolition workers shot the last ball (or brick) into that basket still hanging in front of the stage.
Soon after, only parts of the side walls and the stage remain of the Auditorium / Gymnasium.
A closer look reveals the stage and the stage back wall. The area under the stage can be seen where folding chairs were once stored.
As the days passed workers continued to demolish the Village. Here demolition was completed up to and including the Auditorium and the Barbara Givenaud Cottage.
They skiped pass the Chapel leaving it to last due to asbestoc issues which will need special handling.
Once the play yard of the Barbara Givenaud, now a facility for grinding up masonary dibree into fine gravel for recycling. Yes, the Village may become part of the cement of a future highway.
A pile of dirt lies just in front of the site of Mother Evangelista School. Those two trees were on either side of the school doors.
The Junior Boys Cottage two remaining is gone and theBoys Cottages are to follow.
Another view of the two remaining cottages with the special needs school built by Bergen County in the post Village years.
The last of the iconic corridor of the Village is soon to be gone as a mere memory. The Senoir Boys Cottage is at the end of the corridor. The two unfinished concrete block structures between the two cottages was a unfinished project of the post Village use by Bergen County.
All that remains of the Barbara Givenaud Cottage is the concrete floor slab.
In the former outdoor play area for the children of the Bartbarbara Givenaud Cottage, we see a close view of the equipment used to grind up the cement and brick into fine gravel for reuse.
A few days later all that remains at this end is the Senior Boys. Notice the former wading pool that in later years became a planter with a flag pole. It is the circular object towards the center of the picture and just forward of it you can makeout the square cover of the pump chamber for the fountain.
A day or so later, the remainder of the Senoir Boys Cottage to be demolished. Dorms 1 and 2 are to the left of the first dumpster and dorms 3 and 4 are just to the right of the pile of broken concrete. The right side dumpster is outside the cottage footprint. The concrete pile is where the prefects suite was and the house mother's suite was behind the portion of bricks to the right at the bottom of the picture. The bathrooms were more to the left of that and the very left dumpster marks the spot of the laundry and sewing room.
Another shot of the Senior Boys Cottage with the roof striped off the playroom.
Looking from the corridor towards the Senior Boys CVottage, the roof is gone over the cottage corridor, the sitting room, and the playroom. The utility crawl space below corridor outside the cottage can be clearly seen. The door to the left of the front cottage door is into a utility room.
A day or so later, all the walls were down except the ones bt the utility room.
Looking closely you can spot the excavator removing the blue front door of the cottage. Bergen County removed the original wooden and glass doors when they took over the building.
The last of the cottages is gone. The special needs school built by Bergen County is not a part of the demolition project and may remain.
Enlarge this image by clicking on it and you will see the blue tile floors of the Junior and Intermediate Boys bathrooms circled in red. Two horizontal markings within these floors are where the walls were seperating the tiolet, sink, and shower areas.
As it turns out the Chapel was not saved as previously suspected. Demolition has begins on this, the last building remaining. The floor slabs of the three Girls Cottages are in the background.
It was later learned that it remained to last as special asbestos remediation was needed to handle thin insulation board that was between the interior structural concrete block and the exterior brick. It is unknown why only the Chapel had this insulation. As many may remember, the other buildings, including the dormatories were poorly insulated and were often drafty and cold. That included drafty window frames. The radient floor heat had to work extra hard. Fuel was cheap back then.
Here in this spectacular shot we see the remains of the sanctuary consisting of alter "predella" or platform. The modern styled "reredos" behind the alter and the "baldachin" or canope above the alter. The freestanding post Vatican II alter had already been removed eventhough it remained as a table when the chapel was a recreation room for the post Village nursing home.
In this video we remember what a typical Sunday morning was like in this chapel at St. Joseph's Village. Click image to see video. Click the play button if video not self start.
Another view showing the early stages of demolition of the Chapel.
More of the roof gone revealing the "Nave" of the Chapel or the area where the congregation sits.
Days later, the choir loft is missing its railing. The opening in the rear wall once has a beautiful stained glass window.The organ chanber was to the left and the organ blower was to the right.
The escavator is removing the rear wall behind the last row of pews where the 4th dorm senior boys were assigned to sit for Mass.
On this snowey day, demolition continues with the choir loft where the organ and organ pipe chamber was before it was rescued by its builder, the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company.
The "Vestry" where the priest and alter boys prepare for Mass can be seen beside the pile of steel beams that have been seperated for recycling.
The bell steeple and the back wall behind the alter is all that remain of the Chapel.
Here we see the three bells and the corner stane circled in red which reads 1958.
Several days later the steeple remains with its three bells in tact. Hopefully this was to remove the bells for safe keeping.
The wall behind the alter is gone and the vestry remains. From the corridor, we entered the Chapel where the right hand dumpster sits.
The sewage treatment plant which was functioning prior to the Village being connected to the municipal sewar system remains within the wooded area at the rear of the Village property. It is to be demolished by the contractor.
Now that all the buildings are demolished, the Barbara Givernaud Cottage now serves as a gravel processing facility to grind concrete and bricks into gravel to spread onto areas where the floor slabs once were.
The finely milled concrete gravel is neatly piled for use as backfill. You would not recognize this as the grass area children once played in while living at the Barbara Givenaud Cottage.
After each floor slab is broken up and removed, this gravel is spread over the surface. It is unknown at this time why these areas are not left as level top soil. Here we see the process beginning with the Infermary. Perhaps if this gravel remains for a period before any new construction on the site, then one would be able to tour the site and pick out the various buildings simply by this "floor plan" left behind.
When Dominic Scalcione returned a few days later, they had already took down the steeple so we missed this final moment. All that remains at this point is the flag pole in addition to the roads, pathways, and the floor slabs.
Zooming in on the previous image, there apears to be a remaining piece of steel standing near the Chapel door that lead to the sister's chapel. Perhaps it was a "last beam" left there by the demolition workers. That beam, incedently, was laying on the ground in a previous picture and therefore may not actually be a "Last Beam" since others were standing after it was knocked down. It is uncertain just what this is.
Some of the last of the steel framing of the Village.
Looking back over the entire site, all that remains are the concrete floor slabs, which for now, is all we have to identify the layout of the various buildings.
Conclusion
This demolition site, once a home for dependent children leaves behind many years of memories, both of sanctuary and happy childhood moments, and for some, trama. St. Joseph's Village for Dependent Children has left its mark on the lives of literally hundreds of former children and staff. Perhaps this website and the accompaning Facebook "Village Memories" message board it what's left to keep a lasting record of this time and place.
NEXT UP: The floor slabs will be removed and gravel placed within their footprints.
TO BE CONTINUED: Please return as we continue to present photos and aerial drone videos of the demolition provided by Dominic Scalcione. Be sure to go this section titled, "The Final Chapter" and then bookmark that place.