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History Highlights of NPLC's Preservation Work in Newark
1973 _____________________________________________________________________________ Committee founded by Donald Dust and others First meeting Nov. 26 1974 _____________________________________________________________________________ Committee becomes nonprofit corporation 1975 _____________________________________________________________________________ First Recognition Awards James Street houses saved First general members join 197 6_____________________________________________________________________________ First newsletters, greeting cards, and tour guides issued First church tour First nominations sponsored First staff hired Plume House restored by trainees
1977 _____________________________________________________________________________
NPLC's first office - 35 James St First protest on demolitions
Period lampposts are installed in the James Street Commons Historic District
1978 _____________________________________________________________________________ James Street on National Register Campaigns to save St. James Roman Catholic Church, Public Service auditorium and Broad Street brownstones First City preservation ordinance Lloyd Houses bought by NPLC 1979 _____________________________________________________________________________ Exhibit on churches at library Old-house parts depot begun St. James Church razed First Lincoln Park July Fest
1980 _____________________________________________________________________________ James Street rehabilitations begun
1981 _____________________________________________________________________________ William Ashby's "Tales Without Hate" published P.S. auditorium razed
1982 _____________________________________________________________________________ Committee reorganized as all-volunteer group Last staff leaves Campaigns to save Mulberry Street markets and Gibraltar Building
1983 _____________________________________________________________________________ Lincoln Park on N.J. Register Campaigns to save Krueger Mansion and stop Branch Brook Park auto race 1984 _____________________________________________________________________________ Lincoln Park on National Register Campaigns to save Bleeker Street and Walnut Street houses Office moves to 868 Broad St 1985 _____________________________________________________________________________ New Register nominations by architectural consultant Ulana Zakalak Lloyd Houses sold First survey of downtown landmarks City gives $1 million to Krueger Mansion 1986 _____________________________________________________________________________ Campaign to save University Heights churches
1987 _____________________________________________________________________________ Campaign to shift planned arts center out of James Street district Office moves to Newark Museum's Polhemus House 1988 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mt. Pleasant Cemetery on National Register New City landmark ordinance adopted First NPLC plaques installed NPLC aids State survey of black historic sites
Dryden mausoleum in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery is visited during an NPLC tour
1989 _____________________________________________________________________________ Arts center site moved east of Broad Street Jackson Street bridge steam engine goes to Museum 1990 _____________________________________________________________________________ Forest Hill on National Register Metropolitan Baptist Church (originally Oheb Shalom Synagogue) on N.J. Register Lloyd Houses razed First City Landmarks Commission appointed First N.J. Historic Trust grants to Newark sites 1991 _____________________________________________________________________________ William Ashby dies State bars Metropolitan demolition 1992 _____________________________________________________________________________ Donald Dust dies NPLC co-sponsors Metropolitan study Bethany Baptist Church lost First honorary NPLC trustee, D.J. Henderson, named Campaign to save South Park Church 1993 _____________________________________________________________________________ First Donald Dust award; N.J. Historical Society acquires Essex Club Apartments open in old Tiffany factory 1994 _____________________________________________________________________________ First Borglum statues on National Register NPLC campaign against elevated downtown railway City landmark ordinance strengthened NPLC's first cash grants to three sites 1995 _____________________________________________________________________________ Greater Newark Conservancy acquires Metropolitan Ballantine House reopens after renovation Dust Collection of documents created at Library NPLC co-sponsors Branch Brook Park map 1996 _____________________________________________________________________________ New edition of "Tales Without Hate" published NPLC co-sponsors Old First Ward exhibit Campaign to save Stephen Crane birthplace North Broad Street row houses on National Register 1997 _____________________________________________________________________________ Retired teacher Lillian Nowicke bequest to NPLC Aaron Burr memorial opens at Broad National Bank Crane site bulldozed Downtown skyscrapers on state "Endangered" list 1998 _____________________________________________________________________________ Riverbank Park on National Register NPLC anniversary exhibit at Newark Public Library New note cards publishe
Former Newark Museum Director Samuel Miller speaks at NPLC's 25th anniversary
1999 _____________________________________________________________________________ Riverbank Park and Four Corners District both on State Register. 2000 _____________________________________________________________________________ Four Corners on National Register; grant from New Jersey for Settlers' Monument repair; part-time executive director hired. 2001 _____________________________________________________________________________ Settlers' Monument removed to foundry; "My School, My Community" program begins for schoolchildren at N.J. Historical Society. 2002 _____________________________________________________________________________ Old Essex Jail on "Endangered" list; public programs featuring "Churchscape"
photos and "Stone Voices" video.
2003 _____________________________________________________________________________ Settlers' Monument returned to Fairmount Cemetery; Weequahic Park on National Register; NPLC Web site begun; tour marks James Street Commons 25th anniversary.
2004 _____________________________________________________________________________ Restored Settlers' Monument rededicated in Fairmount Cemetery; Military Park and 10 blocks listed on National Register; City's official city map shows all historic sites; NPLC office moves to North Reformed Church.
Members of Descendants of the Founders of New Jersey gather in 2004 during rededication ceremony for the Settlers' Monument in Fairmount Cemetery after its restoration by Landmarks Committee.
2005 _____________________________________________________________________________ Museum agrees to save 1859 Polhemus House; Kenney Hospital heritage celebrated; Author joins tour of "Philip Roth's Newark"; Historian Charles Cummings dies.
Descendants and admirers of Dr. John Kenney join the celebration of the hospital he founded in 1927 to serve Newark's African-Americans. The building, now New Salem Baptist Church, was put on the National Register by NPLC.
2006 and Onward _____________________________________________________________________________ Sydenham House bought and restored; State limits Museum expansion plan; City Landmarks Commission purged; Historic firehouse razed despite protests.
The city's demolition of this century-old firehouse on Mulberry Street near the new sports arena in the summer of 2006 spurred efforts by Landmarks Committee to save other historic fire stations. The razing drew protests from preservationists.
Highlights of NPLC's Second Quarter Century _______________________________________________________________________________
Created the Four Corners Historic District, covering 26 blocks around Broad and Market streets, and succeeded in putting the area on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. Helped obtain Register status for Congregation Ahavas Sholom, on Broadway, the last original functioning synagogue in Newark. Developed a Weequahic Historic District, encompassing the entire county park and the neighborhood west of it; also won a State grant to put the Military Park Commons Historic District on the Registers. Sought cooperation between Newark Public Schools and the State to conduct a citywide survey of historic school buildings. Worked to commemorate Newark's only African-American hospital, now occupied by a church on West Kinney Street.
Now a church, this building on West Kinney Street once housed Newark's first African-American Hospital. It was put on the National Register by NPLC
______________________________________________________________________________ Received a $100,000 grant from the State to save the Settlers' Monument in Fairmount Cemetery, arranged for removal and foundry restoration of the deteriorated zinc monument, and worked with the City for its return and rededication in 2004.
Officials of NPLC and the Polich Art Works in upstate New York gather by the restored Settlers' monument before its return to Fairmount Cemetery in Newark
Developed an educational pilot project, "My School, My Community," to show children the history around them. It was conducted by the N.J. Historical Society in two elementary schools.
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Pupils from two city schools display models and pictures of their neighborhoods at an NPLC-sponsored program at the New Jersey Historical Society
_____________________________________________________________________________ Sponsored or co-sponsored bus and walking tours of churches, cemeteries, parks, varied landmarks, historic districts and WPA sites. Provided plaques for St. Lucy's Church, Riverbank Park, and the Forest Hill Historic District, and arranged for a replacement marker for a Civil War army encampment site in Branch Brook Park. Nominated local sites for a statewide Women's Heritage Trail. Campaigned to strengthen the City's Historic Preservation Commission, which was set up in 1990 at the urging of NPLC. Worked to help save the remains of South Park Church, the Murphy Varnish factory, old Essex County Jail, Polhemus House, Sydenham House, Jersey Central Station, Krueger-Scott Mansion, Gutzon Borglum sculptures and old City Subway cars. Watched ongoing restoration of the city's oldest synagogue building, on Prince Street, and of Riverbank Park -- two once-doomed sites saved by NPLC's past efforts. Also saw local sites qualify for state grants after NPLC had put them on the Registers.
Riverbank Park in the Ironbound, saved by NPLC and other groups from destruction for a baseball stadium, has been rehabilitated by Essex County
_____________________________________________________________________________ Prepared photographic records of local cemetery monuments. Hired a part-time executive director, first employee since 1985.
NPLC has campaigned to save vacant firehouses, including the oldest in Newark - the former Engine 10 on Astor Street.
(c) 2010 This site is the sole property of Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee (NPLC), P.O. Box 1066, Newark, NJ 07101, (973) 622-4910; with the exception of images borrowed from other sources as indicated. To obtain information on those images please contact the individual or institutions listed in the photo credit line.
This site is designed & maintained by Rosalind Nichol, Trustee/ Tea&Wings Studio LLCand James Lewis, Trustee / Librarian, Newark Public Library. jlewis@npl.org
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