The Liberty Pole is one of the oldest named places in Englewood, NJ. The city's history page describes the west end of town as the area around the Liberty Pole Tavern, and the surrounding neighborhood took the same name. Today a Liberty Pole stands near the corner of West Palisade Avenue and Tenafly Road. If you live on the older streets nearby, this page is for you.
The city's Master Plan also lists a Liberty Historic District that includes Cottage Place and Grove, Henry and Charles Streets. It describes smaller houses built in the 19th century by tradespeople, shopkeepers and workers who lived near the village downtown. That is a useful clue about the size of the homes, though it does not tell us what is inside them.
Boundaries here are loose. We use the Liberty Pole corner and those named streets as anchors, and we will not claim to know exactly where the neighborhood ends.
What the history tells you, and what it does not
The first Liberty Pole in Englewood was raised in 1766 to mark the repeal of the Stamp Act. The pole has been replaced several times, and the current one dates from 1964. The nearby tavern gave the area its name, and the corner marks the route the Continental Army used in November 1776.
For a homeowner, the practical point is the age of the settlement, not the stories. Streets laid out this long ago tend to have houses built, extended and renovated in different decades. Two neighbors on the same block may have very different plumbing, so treat any assumption about your own pipes as unconfirmed until someone looks.
Liberty Pole at a glance
The anchor corner
The Liberty Pole stands near West Palisade Avenue and Tenafly Road. Lafayette Avenue also meets the corner, according to a Revolutionary War sites guide.
Named streets
The Master Plan's Liberty Historic District names Cottage Place, Grove Street, Henry Street and Charles Street. We list these as anchors, not as a boundary.
Housing character
Smaller 19th-century houses built for working families near the downtown, according to the Master Plan. Many have been changed since, so each one needs its own look.
Nearby neighbors
This is the west end of Englewood, which borders the township of Teaneck. Calls from the Teaneck side are covered on our Teaneck page.
Smaller older houses, practical plumbing questions
These apply to many smaller homes. They are general patterns, not findings about Liberty Pole addresses.
| Situation | Why it matters in a small house | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing a water heater in a tight utility space | Access and venting can limit what size or type fits | Water heater replacement or tankless units, which are compact |
| Adding a second bathroom | New fixtures need supply lines, a drain path and often a permit | Plumbing installation |
| A damp spot appearing in a basement or crawl space | Smaller footprints leave less room between a leak and the living space | Leak detection |
| A kitchen sink that keeps draining slowly | One drain line may serve the kitchen, laundry and bath | Drain cleaning |
| Renovating and finding old supply lines | Opening walls shows pipe that nobody has seen for years | Repiping explains when replacement is worth discussing |
Never assume old means bad. A plumber decides from the pipe in front of them.
If water is running and you cannot stop it
Act in this order. Close the main valve, switch off power only if you can reach the panel while standing dry, and keep away from wet outlets.
- Find the main valve where the water line enters the house, often in the basement or near the meter.
- Move belongings off the floor before drywall and carpet soak up water.
- Photograph the damage for your insurer before you clean up.
- Call and tell us the street, the room and whether the valve closed.
Questions about permits and history
Permit rules vary by job. Before a water heater swap, a new bathroom or a repipe, ask the Englewood Building & Code Enforcement office at (201) 871-6642, open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
The Liberty Historic District is described in the Master Plan as established by Bergen County in 2002 and 2003. We do not know what, if anything, that means for plumbing work on a given house, so ask the building department before you plan around it.
Where to go next
The city around this corner is covered on our Englewood homepage. Many Liberty Pole homes are a short walk from the downtown, which has its own page for Palisade Avenue businesses.
Homeowners comparing water heaters can read about installation, and those planning a bathroom can start with plumbing installation. If the problem is a drain, drain cleaning shows what a plumber does first.
Check a plumber before you hire
New Jersey law says plumbing work must be done by a licensed master plumber. Ask for the licence number, then confirm it with the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, part of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
Permit rules vary by job, so ask the Englewood Building & Code Enforcement office before work begins.
Liberty Pole plumbing questions
Yes. The Liberty Pole area is in Englewood, ZIP 07631. Give the street and the nearest cross street when you call.
Both. It is a landmark at the corner of West Palisade Avenue and Tenafly Road, and the city's history page says the surrounding area took the same name. We use it as a locality, with the named streets as anchors, because its exact boundaries are not documented.
We cannot say for any given house. Permit rules vary by job, and historic status can matter. Ask the building department before work begins.
You can usually replace it with a similar tank or switch to a tankless unit, depending on space and venting. Our guides to water heater replacement and tankless units list the questions to ask.
Close the main valve, keep clear of wet electrical items and call. If you smell gas, leave the building and call 911 or the gas utility first.
Still not sure what you need? Call the line and describe what you see.