How Hoboken Looked 40 Years Ago: Compare Former Resident's Line Drawings With Today

HOBOKEN, NJ — Like many of the artists who moved to Hoboken in the 1980s, Darren Kall came from another New Jersey town and was quickly transfixed by the mile-square city. In 1986, when it was almost time for the annual River City Fair, he undertook a two-week project to start recreating Washington Street's shops in line drawings.

He wanted to capture not just the shops, but "the active life of the city as well," according to the Hoboken Historical Museum.

He created the Hoboken Poster that now hangs outside the museum, with 19 strips representing city blocks. In late September, the museum kicked off a showing of Kall's art from the 1980s.

At a recent reception to kick off the Darren Kall exhibit — which runs through Oct. 27 at the museum — visitors checked out line drawings of shops and brownstones from Hoboken in the 1980s, comparing them to today.

"The city was teeming with artists, musicians, and creatives" when Kall moved there in 1985, the Museum said in a handout at the event. "Darren's work reminds us about the ephemeral nature of life. Change is constant, but love for community always remains."

Kall moved out of Hoboken years ago and now lives in Ohio.

The exhibit "Drawings of Hoboken: Changing and Enduring Places" can be viewed at the museum at 1301 Hudson St. for one more week. Find out more about it here.