Riker Hill Art Park 2023 | Livingston, New Jersey

Riker Hill Art Park Is A Former Nike Missile Base

iker Hill Art Park was originally a Nike Missile Base. It operated from 1954 to 1974.

According to the Park website:

The United States Army’s Nike Air Defense System comprised a chain of anti-aircraft missile sites encircling major US cities, intended to intercept Soviet transcontinental nuclear bomber aircraft. Each Nike site consisted of a radar tracking and a missile launch facility. Riker Hill’s elevation on of the highest in the county provided the optimal location for one of the project’s radar installations with a clear line of sight for the defense of the New York Metro area.

After it was decommissioned, the park became available for other uses. Essex County then purchased the property.

Essex County Riker Hill Art Park is a former United States Missile Tracking Base in Livingston, NJ. The 42-acre complex was purchased from the federal government for one dollar in 1974. The buildings, which once housed army facilities, have been transformed into 38 artist studios. Artists-in-residence work in various disciplines such as painting, fine metal jewelry, ceramics, pottery, glass-blowing, fine prints, photography and sculpture.

The former army barracks are now occupied by professional artists.

History of the Park

According to the Riker Hill Artists website:

Riker Hill, in western Essex County, has a history rich with Mesozoic monsters, colonial-era witchcraft, and 20th-century defense. Two-Hundred-million years ago tiny dinosaurs left their footprints nearby, to be discovered in the late 1060s. In the middle of the 1700s, the place was a concern to local landowners. As the tale goes. the wooded hill was occupied by a squatter, Peter Riker, and his mother, rumored to be a witch. Whether or not the stories about the Rikers were true, today the hill still bears their name. During the Cold War, Riker Hill became a vital link in the country’s air defenses. Today it belongs to the Essex County Parks Department and the resident artists who sustain it.

The high elevation made it great for artists:

Amid the peaceful rolling hills of Livingston, Cold War weapons made casual neighbors to suburban sub-developments from 1954 to 1974. The United States Army’s Nike Air Defense System comprised a chain of anti-aircraft missile sites encircling major US cities, intended to intercept Soviet transcontinental nuclear bomber aircraft. Each Nike site consisted of a radar tracking and a missile launch facility. Riker Hill’s elevation on of the highest in the county provided the optimal location for one of the project’s radar installations with a clear line of sight for the defense of the New York Metro area.

Artists are expected to not only practice their craft but to give lessons to aspiring artists:

Since the early 1980’s artists have worked and taught in the park. Classes and workshops for adults are offered, and opportunities abound for the community to create artwork at the park. Curated exhibitions are held throughout the year, and special speakers and events bring a fresh perspective to the community at large.

How Does An Artist Get One of These Studios?

The former barracks were turned into brightly painted artists’ studios.

Essex County subsidizes the studios and there may be a waiting list. The artist must fill out an application and supply samples of their work. They can download the application from the following link:

Riker Hill Art Park Studio Application