Branch Brook Park

Branch Brook Park

Branch Brook Park opened in 1895 as the nation's first county park for public use under the newly formed Essex County Park Commission. Its layout is based on plans conceived in a report from the firm of Olmsted, Vaux and Company in 1867 (document included here). The park was subsequently designed by Bogart & Barrett in 1895, and refined by Olmsted Brothers in 1898.

1895

extant

Branch Brook Park has been expanded and several new structures have been built since its inception in 1895. Originally 60 acres were transferred to the Essex County Park Commission from the City of Newark. Over the years through various acquisitions and donations of land, the park grew to more than double its original size. Structures later added include an entrance gateway, gazebo, greenhouse and administrative building.

Books:

Newark Landmark Treasures
Gordon, Mark W., and Anthony Schuman, editors. Newark Landmark Treasures: A Guide to the Landmark Buildings, Parks, Public Art & Historic Districts in New Jersey’s Metropolis. Newark Preservation and Landmarks Committee, 2016, p. 54.

Olmsted Parks in New Jersey
Kolva, Jeanne. Olmsted Parks in New Jersey. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, c2011.

Frederick Law Olmsted: Plans and Views of Public Parks
Olmsted, Frederick L, and Charles C. MacLaughlin. Papers / Supplementary Series: 1. Baltimore [u.a.: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1997.

Branch Brook Park / Google Books link
Galop, Kathleen P, and Catharine Longendyck. Branch Brook Park. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2007.

The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted: The Last Great Projects, 1890–1895
Olmsted, Frederick L, Charles C. McLaughlin, and Charles E. Beveridge. The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1977.

The First County Park System: A Complete History of the Inception and Development of the Essex County Parks of New Jersey
Kelsey, Frederick W. The First County Park System: A Complete History of the Inception and Development of the Essex County Parks of New Jersey. Washington: McGrath Pub. Co. & National Recreation and Park Association, 1974.

The Bridges of New Jersey: Portraits of Garden State Crossings
Richman, Steven M. The Bridges of New Jersey: Portraits of Garden State Crossings. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press, 2005.

Articles:

Harwell, Faye. "Bringing Back Olmsted's Plantings: Extensive Records Enabled Us To Rehabilitate An 1899 Park Much As The Olmsted Firm Saw It." Landscape Architecture 98.8 (2008): 78. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals. Web. 2 June 2016. (accessible only on NJIT campus)

Morris, Marya. "The 30 Great Places In America: Public Spaces, Streets, And Neighborhoods." Planning 79.10 (2013): 14-23. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals. Web. 2 June 2016. (accessible only on NJIT campus)

Files (see attachments):

Rhodeside & Harwell, Incorporated Landscape Architecture & Planning, et al. Cultural Landscape Report, Treatment, and Management Plan for Branch Brook Park Newark, New Jersey, Volume 2: History of the Park and Critical Periods of Development. Alexandria, Virginia : Rhodeside & Harwell, Incorporated Landscape Architecture & Planning. 2002.

Olmsted, Vaux & Co. Landscape Architects. "Report on a Site for a Park at Newark." Reprints: National Association for Olmsted Parks 5.1 (2003). Electronic.

National Register of Historic Places, Branch Brook Park, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, National Register #81000392.

"Reviving Newark's Branch Brook Park." Preservation Perspective NJ 9.3 (1990): 4-5. Print.

http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail?assetID=b3e396d2-d53b-4957-9037-09d88f91514b

Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library – Seymour B. Durst Old York Library