Riverbank Park

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This article is about a park in Newark. For the park in Manhattan, see Riverbank State Park.
Riverbank Park
Soccer Ground.jpg
A soccer field in Riverbank Park
Riverbank Park is located in Essex County, New Jersey
Riverbank Park
Nearest cityNewark, New Jersey
Coordinates40°43′55″N 74°9′9″W / 40.73194°N 74.15250°W / 40.73194; -74.15250Coordinates: 40°43′55″N 74°9′9″W / 40.73194°N 74.15250°W / 40.73194; -74.15250
Area10.8 acres (4.4 ha)
Built1907
ArchitectOlmsted Brothers
Architectural styleUrban Park
NRHP reference No.98000351[1]
NJRHP No.60[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 16, 1998
Designated NJRHPOctober 29, 1999

Riverbank Park is a park in the Ironbound section of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The park was opened in 1910[3] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 16, 1998.[4] It is the smallest and one of the most heavily used parks in the Essex County Park System.[5]

History[]

The park was designed by the Olmsted Brothers, the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted.[3] The park land was acquired in 1907 and construction finished in 1910.[3] A driving force behind the building of the park was Franklin Murphy (governor) who wanted his workers at the Murphy Varnish Works to have open space.[5]

An expansion took place between 1926 and 1931.[3] The baseball fields are on the former location of the Balbach Smelting & Refining Company, one of the largest metal processing companies in the country, which closed in the 1920s.[5]

In 1996, there was an attempt to build the Newark Bears, Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium at the site of the park, demolishing the park.[6] SPARK (Save the Park At RiverbanK) is a community group formed to save the park from destruction.[6] After an unsuccessful attempt to save the park via referendum, they were able to get the park on the National Historic Register.[4]

SPARK's work also resulted in a remediation of contaminated soil in the park, which was completed in 2003.[7]

In August 2011, plans were announced to create Newark Riverfront Park, next door to Riverbank Park along the Passaic River[8][9][10] which opened in August 2012.[11][12][13][14] A further extension of parkland along the river was announced in June 2016.[15][16] Work proceeded in 2017. Eventually it will reach Bridge Street Bridge.[17]

Programming[]

Currently, SPARK hosts programs in the park including a Learning Program with the New Jersey Historical Society and Greater Newark Conservancy[4] , movie nights[18] and Music and Art Day.[19]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. January 10, 2010. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). Digital Archive of Newark Architecture (NJIT). Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  4. ^ a b c Troiano, Laura. "Give Me A "Ball Park Figure": Creating Civic Narratives Through Stadium Building in Newark, New Jersey". RUCore. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  5. ^ a b c "Riverbank Park, Newark". newarkhistory.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Golon, Bob (2008). No minor accomplishment : the revival of New Jersey professional baseball. Rivergate Books. ISBN 9780813542744. OCLC 895786285.
  7. ^ "The County of Essex, New Jersey | ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF PROJECT TO MODERNIZE ESSEX COUNTY RIVERBANK PARK PLAYGROUND Riverbank Facility is First of Five Playgrounds to be Upgraded this Year". Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  8. ^ "Gov. Chris Christie touts bipartisanship in Newark park project". nj.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  9. ^ "Essex County opens Riverfront Park in Newark, a 30-year dream come true". nj.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  10. ^ construction begins Newark Star Ledger
  11. ^ "With Riverfront Park, Newark reacquaints itself with the Passaic River | NJ.com". nj.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  12. ^ "Play Along the Passaic - Archpaper.com". archpaper.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  13. ^ "Newark Transforms Contaminated Dumping Ground into Gorgeous Riverfront Park | Inhabitat New York City". inhabitat.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  14. ^ http://newarksriver.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/130807newarksriver.pdf
  15. ^ "Expansion of Newark's Riverfront Park to Bridge Street Moves Forward". www.PlaceNJ.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  16. ^ "Was this $16.7M park key to a critical political endorsement for Christie?". NJ.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  17. ^ "Construction Underway to Expand Newark's Riverfront Park - Jersey Digs". JerseyDigs.com. November 1, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  18. ^ "Riverbank Park Family Movie Night: Kung Fu Panda III". www.newarkpulse.com. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  19. ^ Zak-Cohen, Beth (2017-05-20). "Making birthday cards for Riverbank Park at music and art Day @IronboundCC @nwkriverfrontpic.twitter.com/XIupUNen6P". @bzakcohen. Retrieved 2019-04-19.


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