JC Times: Facing Specter of Closure, Jersey City History Museum Seeks Funding Amid Austerity

E. Assata Wright August 7, 2026

Curator Peter Begans poses with the Legendary Arenas exhibit at the Museum of Jersey City History in 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Museum of Jersey City History)

Jersey City’s deficit woes could not have come at a worse time for a fledgling cultural institution that is on the brink of either expansion or extinction. While supporters hope a last-minute push for new funding will be successful, the fight for institutional support could fall to the City Hall budget axe.

In May, the Museum of Jersey City History (MJCH) spent the last of $100,000 in seed funding the city awarded the museum when it opened in 2022. Recent fundraising will allow it to foot the bill for various exhibits and programs through 2027, said board Vice President Michael Ehrmann. Money for operating expenses, however, has all but dried up.

“As of this month, the museum and its associated exhibitions and projects have raised more than $65,560 in program funds,” Ehrmann said. “The museum has also raised $4,806 in operational funds. But this isn’t enough.”

The museum, which has no part-time or full-time staff, recently submitted a budget to the city seeking $47,689 in operational support. Annual operating expenses are about $18,000, Ehrmann said.

MJCH is the designated caretaker of the historically significant Apple Tree House, which houses the museum, and it hosts exhibits that highlight Jersey City’s relevance in U.S. and Garden State history. Since its founding, the museum has presented exhibits on the history of sports in Jersey City, the Colgate Clock, and city development from 1600 to the present. The museum averages roughly 3,000 visits per year.

Exhibits bring in some money, Ehrmann said, through a suggested $5 donation collected at the door. Art sales and a large contribution from an individual donor also help. But exhibits cost $25,000-$50,000 to host. There are curation, design, website, and insurance costs, Ehrmann said.

MJCH currently exhibits some art pieces from the now-closed Jersey City Museum, and there are costs associated with protecting that collection.

“We will implement a system of sponsorships and memberships. It is part of the plan, but it’s not yet in place,” Ehrmann said. “I find Jersey City’s philanthropic community is not well developed. It’s fairly limited. And we have found that private sector entities are more interested in supporting individual programming than paying for general funds.”

The museum’s board, Ehrmann said, would like to hire part-time marketing and fundraising staff, instead of relying solely on volunteers as it has for five years.

MJCH received a $13,125 program grant from the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund in 2026. However, it is barred from receiving larger operational grants because it does not have any paid staff, Ehrmann said, calling the museum’s circumstances a catch-22.

“This is a ‘young museum challenge.’ We’re still a young museum.” he said. “We’re unusual in that we’re run through a sweat equity model.”

The Museum of Jersey City History is housed in the historic Van Wagenen House, also known as the Apple Tree House, pictured here in 2017. (Jennifer Brown/City of Jersey City)

Located in Ward C, the museum has the support of the ward’s City Council representative, Councilman Tom Zuppa. Zuppa said he would appeal to his colleagues to find the money necessary to keep the museum afloat.

“The Apple Tree House is part of the historic fabric of Jersey City, and the result of dedicated advocates who worked hard for so many years to save the building,” he said. “I will do what I can to ensure it remains an active contributor to our city. That includes assisting [museum leadership] in their fundraising efforts and procuring long-term funding sources.”

Closure of the museum would arguably be a waste of government resources. The museum debuted five years after the city spent millions to acquire and renovate the dilapidated Apple Tree House, also known as the Van Wagenen House, located at 298 Academy St.

The city bought the property for $450,000 in 1999, during Bret Schundler’s tenure as mayor. Site renovations spanned 11 years and cost more than $4 million before the house opened to the public for sightseeing tours in 2017. Renovation costs were covered by Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund, Urban Enterprise Zone, New Jersey Historic Trust Fund, and city dollars.

Renowned as the site where George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette planned an attack on British soldiers under an apple tree in 1779, the building and the museum it houses figured prominently in former Mayor Steve Fulop’s vision for Journal Square as a cultural hub. The house is close to the Loew’s Theatre, currently undergoing its own renovation, which is scheduled to reopen this fall. It is also close to the Pathside Building, once slated to be the home for Centre Pompidou × Jersey City.

If the history museum fails to secure funding from the city, Ehrmann said board members will attempt to find money elsewhere, but he personally thinks MJCH will eventually close — like the Jersey City Museum before it. The Montgomery Street art museum closed in 2010 because of a lack of funding.

It is unclear what the city would do with the Apple Tree House should the museum close. The house, which was built around 1740, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Aaron Morrill contributed additional reporting.