Ridgefield: Church, Film History and Trinity Spring

Ridgefield brings together a 1793 Reformed church, the history of a film studio, and a spring connected to a former spring-water bottling plant. These local features offer different perspectives: architectural and religious history sit alongside film history and the former use of a natural resource. If you are looking for a vacation rental in Ridgefield, these themes can help shape the character of your stay. Consider whether you are especially interested in historic architecture, film history, or the connection between nature and its former use.

A Church with a Distinct Local 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 building therefore belongs to a religious and architectural context that extends beyond Ridgefield to reflect the history of the region.

The church’s original appearance has been largely preserved. Additions include a white aluminum apse at the rear and a church office, also at the rear, finished with cement plaster. Both are part of the building’s description: its largely preserved original impression and the specified later additions together provide a more accurate picture than the idea of a completely unchanged building.

Film History and Trinity Spring

Ridgefield was also home to Grantwood Movie Studio, which belonged to E.K. Lincoln. The studio was destroyed by a fire in the 1960s. This is therefore about a historic establishment and its connection to its owner, not a studio that exists today.

Ridgefield Nature Center is located at the site of Trinity Spring. The natural spring supplied the former Great Bear™ spring-water bottling plant. The spring’s history thus complements the film history with a different connection to the area: the focus is on a natural resource and its former use for bottling spring water.

The three topics are easy to distinguish. The church centers on architectural history and religious tradition, Grantwood Movie Studio on a former film-history establishment, and Trinity Spring on the connection between the spring and the former bottling plant. These distinctions give you specific points to consider when deciding which aspects of Ridgefield you want to shape your trip most.

Announced Exhibits and Meetings

In October 2025, two new display cases about Ridgefield’s history were announced for the main foyer of Borough Hall. Rotating exhibits featuring photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia were planned. Since the exhibits and their arrangement may change, check the current information about the displays before your visit if you would like to include the cases in your plans.

In October 2025, a regular meeting schedule was listed for the History Club: meetings were held at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month from September through June at the Public Library. If you would like a meeting to coincide with your stay, check the current events calendar in advance. This helps distinguish a time-specific program from local histories that have been passed down over time.

A Summer Camp with a Clear Participation Limit

The Ridgefield Recreation & Parks Department offers a six-week summer camp for children from the upcoming kindergarten class through 8th grade. Programs are open exclusively to Ridgefield residents. For families visiting the area, this eligibility requirement is important: the camp is not a generally available vacation program for visitors.

When looking for a vacation rental, you can start by deciding on the kind of stay you want and your travel dates. Ridgefield’s themes range from the preserved structure of a stone church to the history of a destroyed film studio and the connection between a natural spring and former bottling operations. If you also want to plan around a History Club meeting or the announced display cases, check these time-specific details against the current information.

Discover more destinations: Tenafly, Fort Lee, Upper Saddle River, Fair Lawn, Rutherford, Englewood, Mahwah, Elmwood Park

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