Market Yard Building Papers, 1999-2001

This series consists of records pertaining to the relocation of the County Clerk’s Office in 2001.

In 2003 the Monmouth County Clerk had fifty-three employees plus eighty-five full-time title searchers working in the same building. The County Clerk oversees Passports, Recordings, Archives, and Elections. From 1702 to June 2001, the County Clerk was located in the Hall of Records on Main Street in Freehold. Also housed there was the County Administrator, the Clerk to the Board of Chosen Freeholders, Personnel, the Planning Board, Public Works and Engineering, Finance, Purchasing, and the County Surrogate. Due to the lack of space in the Hall of Records, the County Clerk’s office moved across the street to the Market Yard. The move to the Market Yard freed up space in the Hall of Records allowing the County to begin work on the long delayed renovations of the building without shutting down offices.

The move took place on June 26, 2001. According to County Clerk M. Claire French, the move went smoothly and her offices were opened for business that Monday at 8:30 A.M. The Market Yard building originally was a shell of a building. The builder had planned on the space being used for different commercial entities and would build walls and doors accordingly. The County decided to lease the building from the private owner for five years at which time the County would decide whether or not to buy it.

Detailed planning went into the move, with which Mrs. French was heavily involved. She sat in on weekly meetings with various groups, such as architects, engineers, interior designers, and the Sheriff’s department. To the meetings she brought with her concerns and requests from her staff. Everything she wanted for the new building she got. For instance, custom made shelves were built for the different size books in the Mortgage and Deed room, lighting was placed over work stations, and the building’s one entrance is facing the Market Yard parking lot and not Mechanic Street. Not only did she sit in on the weekly meetings but she also went on site visits to her new building and to the Probation office across Mechanic Street, a similar structure to the Clerk’s building. Visiting the Probation office gave her ideas for her new building. The mechanical room in the Probation office can be heard and felt in other offices, so Mrs. French decided to soundproof the mechanical room in her building, making the work environment a pleasant one.

When asked if there was anything she would do differently, Mrs. French said there was not. She enjoyed the whole process and was very happy with her new building.

This collection documents the move of the Monmouth County Clerk’s offices from the Hall of Records to Market Yard. The majority of the records consist of floor plans, purchase orders, handwritten notes, and samples of carpets, fabrics, and finishes. The most interesting items are the purchase orders and the written requests of staff members. By looking at the purchase orders one can see how much was spent on items from telephones to the flags outside the building to office chairs. Staff requested items such as office equipment, adequate cabinet space, and parking spaces, a break room, and a ladies room on the same floor as their offices. The most unusual item in the collection is a block of wood that might be a sample of paneling.

This series is open to researchers.

Original materials are available on request in the Archives.

The collection is arranged in thirteen folders and the folders are arranged under three headings. The first heading, Planning, consists of six folders: Building Plans; Legal, Contracts, & Agreements; Meetings, Updates, & Notes; Pricing & Budget; Recording Dept. Survey; and Staff Needs & Concerns. The second, Move & Installation, contains Newspaper Articles; Purchase Orders & Requisitions; Equipment & Furniture; and Punchlists. Samples make up the last section of the collection. The three folders found under this heading are Fabrics & Finishes; Furniture & Equipment; and Wall & Floor.

Monmouth County Archives
125 Symmes Drive
Manalapan NJ 07726
Tel. (732) 308-3771

County Clerk M. Claire French transferred the records to the Archives on July 23, 2003, under Accession #2003-05.

A finding aid was created in September 2003 by Martha McDuff; revised June 2016 by George Joynson.