The Nutley Community Preservation Partnership, The Nutley Historical Society, and The Nutley Historic Preservation Committee celebrated the positive effects on Nutley by by real estate developer and architect William A. Lambert on May 1, 2022.
Activities began at the Nutley Historical Society, 65 Church Street. Nutley Museum displayed items related to William Lambert.
Nutley Township Historian John Demmer gave a brief talk about William A. Lambert and his impact on the development of Nutley.
The action shifted to Lambert Square-at the intersection of Franklin Avenue & High Street for the actual Lambert Square dedication ceremony and the unveiling of two Lambert plaques.
Suzanne Beadle - Past President
Nutley Community Preservation Partnership
William A. Lambert
In 1870, railroad service came to Nutley with three stations located within the town’s borders: Franklin Avenue station on High Street, Nutley station on Highfield Lane and Walnut Street station on Walnut Street. With the advent of the railroad to towns surrounding New York, came a need for a true suburban home for commuters. William Lambert, president of the Nutley Realty and a noted architect and author of Lambert’s Suburban Architecture, met this need.
Lambert is credited with giving Nutley much of its unique character. Lambert’s style, beauty, originality and reasonable cost met this need as exemplified by the 500-plus homes he built in sections of town known as Prospect Heights, Nutley Park and Nutley Heights. Lambert was very active in marketing his developments and many promotional materials survive providing a wealth of detail.
Other structures included St. Paul’s Congregational Church, Nutley Post Office (now Starbucks) and High Street railroad station (now demolished).
As the mills and quarries fade away as the town’s major industries, these homes enabled Franklin/Nutley to become a haven for New York commuters, and a new spirit of camaraderie was born.
Lambert was key in shaping the present layout of many neighborhoods in Nutley Township and much of the town’s character including the establishment of the memorial park that runs the length of the town.
Lambert Square at High Street and Franklin Avenue is named in his honor. It stands near the site of his office where he greeted visitor arriving by train to spend a day house-shopping in our town.