Torre is the co-owner of Hoboken's Hillside Loft at Fifth and Monroe streets, which is the reigning state champion pigeon loft. He is also the former North American champ at pigeon racing.
In New Jersey, there are over 225 different pigeon lofts that compete in a number of events every year. Pigeon racing has a long and distinguished history in Hoboken, and is one of the topics explored in the Hoboken Historical Museum's new exhibit, "City Animals."
Pigeon racing is a sport in which pigeons are brought to a spot far away from their coop at an agreed distance, often several hundred miles, and released at a predetermined time. The arrival of each bird at its home coop is carefully recorded. A winner is declared on that basis.
Homing pigeons have been developed by selective breeding to be able to navigate back to their homes from places they have never visited before.
Reuters started with pigeons
Global interest in pigeons goes back to antiquity. The empires of Carthage, Egypt, and Rome were known to use pigeons as part of an advanced communication network. In Europe in the 19th century, pigeon racing and breeding became a particularly competitive business.
In 1850, Julius Reuter founded the news service that globally still caries his name. The Reuters news service was actually founded as a line of pigeon posts. His fleet of 45 pigeons delivered news and stock prices between Brussels and Germany within two hours, beating the railroad by six hours.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, there was massive immigration, especially from Italy, to Hoboken. Many of the new residents brought their love for pigeon racing and built lofts on the roofs of their brownstones. "I remember when I was kid," said Torre. "On some blocks, there would be 10 or more guys [breeding pigeons]. It seemed like everyone did it."
The 1954 film "On the Waterfront" shows some of Hoboken's pigeon lofts, and the neighborhood kids that raised the birds.
Torre said that breeding pigeons is a true art form. "There are pedigrees and different bloodlines," said Torre. "I've put a lot of time and effort in over the years to make sure I had the best pigeons. If I put as much time into my business as I've put into pigeons, I would be a very rich man. But I'm hooked."
A dying art form
For the past several decades, the popularity of pigeon racing has been waning. According to officials from the Hoboken Historical Museum, by the 1980s, only the "exclusive coops" of the long-standing Hudson County Pigeon Club on Newark Street and a few independent breeders remained in Hoboken. Today, they added, the Hudson County Pigeon Club still owns the building but no longer keeps birds.
Torre said, "I think a lot of the kids today just don't want to do all the work. This isn't just something you do on weekends. [The pigeons] have to be fed and cared for. Plus it's pretty expensive."
'City Animals'
The Hoboken Historical Museum has just opened City Animals, a new exhibition that examines residents' changing relationship with the other creatures who've called Hoboken home. It also includes a look back to the days when hundreds of horses lived and worked in the area.
The show is organized in six parts, which illustrate different ways animals have been viewed over the years: as Neighbors, Workers, Food and Clothing, Spectacle and Sport, Pests and Strays, and Companions and Family. The exhibition features photographs, maps, paintings (including two by Hoboken artist Laura Alexander), sculpture, and artifacts. There is also a Hoboken Historical Museum publication called "City Animals." The show runs through Dec. 23. Museum hours are Tuesdays through Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $2.
The museum is at 1301 Hudson St. For more information, call (201) 656-2240 or see www.hobokenmuseum.org.
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