I used to make trips from the Metro-DC area to the Boston area more than once every year. The journey was too difficult to drive in one day so I stopped over in central New Jersey. One of the landmarks of my trip was the Hightstown Country Club Ballroom, which could be seen from the New Jersey Turnpike. Originally built at the turn of the 20th century, it became a community haven for dancing and alcohol-free socializing. It lasted as a traditional dance hall until just past the turn of the 21st, when the community changed too much to keep it going. I stopped at it in 2002 just before it was to be removed. I drew its picture and photographed it as well. By that time it was empty most of the time though there was still dancing one or two days a week. The next time I passed by it, it was gone. The space is now occupied by a small convention center (with a ballroom) and a hotel.
Sepia brown tech pen on sketchbook page, 7" x 5", June 17, 2002.
1 comment:
Thanks for the memories. While still an undergraduate student at Rutgers, I played in the house band every Wednesday and Saturday nights for the over 50 singles dances. Pretty well attended back in the late ‘60s.
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