Weequahic Park Historic District

Weequahic Park Historic District

The Weequahic Park Historic District is centered around Weequahic Park, which is a large park (311.33 acres) of the Essex County Park System. This park was designed by the famous Olmsted Brothers firm, lead by John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr, according to the "scenic park" type. Influenced by the City Beautiful movement, which originated from the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893, Franklin Murphy and other city leaders of Newark decided to create more parks within the city's boundaries. Weequahic Park has an impressive 80-acre lake and contained various pavilions, structures, and sports facilities such as a grandstand (now demolished), a half-mile racetrack, the Divident Hill Pavilion, the Children's Building at Elizabeth Ave., a golf course, tennis courses, and Murphy's monument. A residential neighborhood developed along the western edge of the park with architecturally significant middle-income housing and mansions.

1899-1931

extant

In the 18th century, the area where the park stands today was primarily agricultural. This location was called Lyons Farms and was part of Clinton Township before being annexed by Newark in 1902. In 1867, Lyons Farms became the grounds for the "Waverly Fairs" that were held annually until 1899, when Essex County purchased this land. At the "Waverly Fairs", farmers sold and advertised livestock, farm and artisanal products, while the public enjoyed a horse race.

Files:

National Register of Historic Places, Weequahic Park Historic District, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, National Register #03000013

Books:

Cunningham, John T. Newark. Newark, N.J: New Jersey Historical Society, 1966.

Fleming, Thomas J. New Jersey: A Bicentennial History. New York: Norton, 1977.

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. 95-97.

Karschner, Terry, and Nanci K. Batchelor. Industrial Newark. Washington, D.C.: Society for Industrial Archeology, 1985.

Urquhart, Frank J. A Short History of Newark. Newark, N.J: Baker, 1908.

Articles:

Weiner, Max. "Greatest need is recreation. Full Fledged community center is section's fondest dream." Newark News, June 5, 1949, n.p.

Colonial Revival