Meet “Richard King”

Meet Richard King, builder and longtime resident of Rutherford (1896 - 1940). Richard was one of the first builders and owners of property on what is now known as Riverside Avenue-then called a “riverfront property”.  Richard King built other homes in the Rutherford area and, more importantly, was one of the builders of Rutherford's "National Guard Armory” which was built circa 1895-1897.

…Nearly 126 years ago a unit of the New Jersey National Guard purchased property on Rutherford’s Park Avenue where they had an armory built. It was a magnificent two-story brick and masonry structure. No sooner had bids been issued, with specifications and plans on October 1, 1896, when two local contractors stepped up to the challenge. And that is where the story of the building of Rutherford’s Armory takes on a special meaning, one that holds a tale of two brothers who excelled as English-trained carpenters. The general contractor for the Armory was Charles Dabinett, who was a sergeant with Company L. The interior contractor was Louis Beck of East Rutherford, who was actually a painter. But the tradesmen who performed the day-to-day carpentry on the building were the brothers, Richard and Alfred King of Rutherford. These two carpenters, born in Poplar, Middlesex County, England, led a crew of six to ten tradesmen to build the Armory, beginning in November 1896. Their work was completed in March 1897. The Armory announced its opening on March 11, 1897.                                                                                                                                                                                               

Richard King purchased property on what was River Road (now Riverside Avenue), just north of Gouverneur Avenue in Rutherford, and built his home in May and June of that year. The King house at 491 Riverside Avenue has been very well maintained. Its current owners, John and Elisa Rosa, have proudly offered to have the house designated historic, mainly due to its connection with Richard and Alfred King and their role in the construction of the historic Rutherford Armory, which also served as Rutherford’s Borough Hall.                                                                                                                                        

Richard and Alfred King’s involvement in the building of the Rutherford Armory is a salute to a classic downtown structure, which was situated next to Edward Turner’s massive commercial building at 84 Park Avenue. The Armory served as Borough Hall up through the late 1930s when the Park Avenue School was abandoned and converted to Rutherford Borough Hall in 1939. Although the Armory functioned as the headquarters for Company L for less than five years --- and then became the official Borough Hall its venue provided space for some historically important events. The well-known Rutherford history, “Things Old and New from Rutherford” by Margaret G. Riggs made its debut there during the 1898 Armory Hall Fair of the Woman’s Reading Club, later known as the Woman’s Club of Rutherford.                                                     

Richard King (1865-1944) was married first to Mary Elizabeth (nee Griffiths) (1857-1906). His second marriage in 1909 was to Emily Agnes (nee Keeling) (1875-1953). They had one son, Harold Lawrence. Richard and Mary Elizabeth had three sons, Richard Griffiths, Alfred Wellington, and Horace Hollister. Richard King resided in Rutherford up through 1940. His brother Alfred and his wife, Sophie, owned a home on 529 Riverside Ave, but after Sophie's death, Alfred resided at 105 Mountain Way. The brothers were buried at Hillside Cemetery in Lyndhurst.        

Excerpts taken from “History of The Rutherford Armory” by Rod Leith, Rutherford Borough Historian – August 2022     

Editing Elisa Rosa

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