Ridgefield: Church and Local History

Ridgefield’s local history brings together different themes: a church built in the late 18th century, a former film studio, and a spring connected with a once-operating water-bottling facility. It also includes local ways of sharing history, such as display cases announced in October 2025 and the History Club’s schedule as reported at the time. For context, it is helpful to consider the architectural, film-historical, and local-history connections separately.

Church Architecture and Dutch Reformed History

The English Neighborhood Reformed Church of Ridgefield is located at 1040 Edgewater Avenue and was built in 1793. It is one of eight stone churches in Bergen County associated with the Dutch Reformed religion. The church thus represents both a specific place in Ridgefield and a religious and architectural tradition represented by several stone churches across Bergen County. The regional connection is to the county; the named building itself is in Ridgefield.

The church’s original appearance has been largely preserved. Additions include a white aluminum apse at the rear and a church office with cement stucco, also at the rear. An apse is an area at the end of a church building. In its architectural history, preservation and change therefore go hand in hand: the original impression has been mostly retained, while two later additions are specifically identified and located at the rear. This gives a nuanced picture of the building, rather than suggesting it has remained completely unchanged.

The Former Grantwood Movie Studio

Ridgefield was home to the Grantwood Movie Studio, which was owned by E.K. Lincoln. A fire destroyed the studio in the 1960s. The film connection adds a different kind of historical trace to the local story than the church: here, the focus is a former studio site and its connection to its owner. The church and studio can also be distinguished chronologically: the church was built in 1793, while the studio’s history ended when it was destroyed by fire in the 1960s. A largely preserved original church and a destroyed studio thus represent two different architectural histories.

Trinity Spring and Former Bottling of Spring Water

The Ridgefield Nature Center is located at the site of Trinity Spring. The natural spring once supplied the Great Bear™ spring-water bottling facility. Ridgefield’s local history thus connects a specific spring site with its former use for bottling water. The relationship is clear: the Nature Center is at the site of the spring, and the spring supplied the former bottling facility. The site’s connection to nature and the former commercial use of its spring water can therefore be understood as two related aspects.

Announced Display Cases and History Club

In October 2025, two new display cases about Ridgefield’s history were announced for the main foyer of Borough Hall. Rotating exhibitions featuring photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia were planned. Since the displays may change and the information was an announcement from 2025, check before visiting whether the display cases are currently on view and what they contain.

In October 2025, the History Club was said to meet monthly: gatherings took place at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month from September through June at the Public Library. If you are planning to attend a meeting, check the current program calendar before your visit. The display cases and club meetings offer different ways to explore local history: an exhibition of objects and images on the one hand, and regular History Club meetings on the other.

Discover more destinations: Ramsey, Edgewater, South Hackensack Township, Fort Lee, Little Ferry, Rutherford, Mahwah, Lyndhurst.

For the broader travel overview: Bergen.