What a fun thing to do on a gorgeous April Saturday. A walking tour of downtown Newark, NJ with Have You Met Newark tours. Newark is where I was born and grew up and it’s exciting to see what’s going on there. Here are some pictures of our tour.
Pictured below is the Prudential Center arena (The Rock) and the NJ Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)
The Old First Presbyterian Church was established in 1666 by the founders of Newark, NJ. My 10 times great-grandfather was one of the founders of Newark and he, along with some of my other ancestors were buried there.
The City Hall, and Broad and Market streets, known as the 4 corners.
The Prudential buildings. The Prudential came to Newark in the late 1800’s, the original building was demolished in 1956 to make way for Prudential Plaza which opened in 1960. A few blocks away in July 2016 the Prudential Tower opened.
Prudential Plaza Prudential Tower
Right in downtown Newark are three lovely parks. Lincoln Park, Military Park and here is Washington Park. The Newark museum and library are located on one side of the park.
Newark always had lots of department stores. Pictured here are Bamberger’s (which became Macy’s).. and Kresge (which is the K in K-Mart ), there was also Orbach’s and S. Klein all within a two block radius.
But the department store that was always a bit above the others, literally and figuratively was Hahne & Co. Hahne’s closed its doors in 1987 and sat empty for 30 years, it has been totally renovated and is gorgeous. In addition to retail space the new renovation includes 160 apartments. Note the original Hahne & Co sign.
I’m a big fan of Newark, not just because I was born and raised there but because it’s a terrific place to visit. Learn about what Newark is planning for the future, like this beautiful new park. But also learn about Newark’s place in our history. A fun way to do that is with a group from Have You Met Newark.
April 23, 2018 at 3:34 pm
We were in Branch Brook Park yesterday enjoying the cherry blossom trees!!
April 23, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Missed you by one day 🙂 Weren’t they gorgeous. Always are.
April 24, 2018 at 5:13 am
I have to tell you – having grown up just across over the bridges on Staten Island, I had no idea Newark was such a lovely city. I may have driven through it to get somewhere but never paid attention. Thank you for the tour!
April 24, 2018 at 12:30 pm
You’re entirely welcome 🙂 Much easier to read on blog then do the 3 hours of walking but it was worth it. 🙂
April 24, 2018 at 12:18 pm
I noticed that city looked like a ghost town compared to what cities were like 20 years ago. So many places are like this now. I go to the old tourist spots from many years ago out here and there is almost no one anymore. Many places closed or they don’t last very long when they do open.
April 24, 2018 at 12:32 pm
Newark is quite a thriving city and has great plans for the future. The revitalization of downtown Newark is incredible. Thank you for your comment 🙂