06/19/2026
Constructed in 1913, this Beaux-Arts style structure was one of Montclair’s first purpose-built municipal buildings, serving as the city’s police and fire headquarters.
The prominent front lamp pays tribute to the 17th-century Dutch "rattle watchmen", who patrolled unlit streets in New Amsterdam (now New York City) with hand-cranked noise rattles and lanterns to signal they were on duty.
Hanging the lantern outside the watch house told citizens a guard was inside, a tradition of 24/7 availability that this illuminated "POLICE" globe still symbolizes today.