Military Park is a city park in Downtown Newark, Essex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. Along with

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

and Washington Park, it makes up the three downtown parks in Newark that were laid out in the colonial era. It is a nearly triangular park located between Park Place, Rector Street and Broad Street. The New Jersey Historical Society,

Military Park Building The Military Park Building in Newark, New Jersey is one of the earliest skyscrapers built downtown. Designed by the architectural firm Polhemus & Coffin of New York, it was the tallest building in New Jersey upon its completion in 1926 until be ...

, the

New Jersey Performing Arts Center The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors (i ...

, the

Robert Treat Center The Robert Treat Center is an office and hotel complex in Newark, New Jersey, named for Robert Treat, who founded the city in 1666. One building originally opened as the Robert Treat Hotel in 1916. The landmark was later converted to an office bui ...

and the newly built One Theatre Square and 50 Rector St buildings are located across Park Place from the park. A $3.25 million renovation led by Dan Biederman was announced in February 2012. The reconstruction was expected to be completed in late 2013, but due to harsh weather was postponed until spring 2014. A casual restaurant, Burg, does business in the park. The park reopened in June 2014.

History

The park was originally laid out by Robert Treat at the founding of Newark as a training ground for soldiers. It saw periodic military use throughout its history; it served as a training ground during the French and Indian War, a campground for the American army in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

and the War of 1812. At the end of the American Revolution it was designated as a public park. There was a period of time in the mid-20th century where the park fell into disrepair. The grounds were considered unsafe and therefore unsuitable for the general population's usage. Military Park fell into a state of disrepair until conservation efforts began in 2003 and ground was broken in 2013. The new park grounds boasts a more open and inviting atmosphere for passersby as well as a revitalized location in downtown Newark.

Historic district

The Military Park Commons Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

roughly bounded by Washington Place, McCarter Highway, E. Park Street and Raymond Boulevard encompassing the park. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on June 18, 2004, for its significance in architecture, and community planning and development. The district includes 37

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, 2 contributing sites, and 9 contributing objects. Eight resources were previously listed individually, including ''

Wars of America ''Wars of America'' is a "colossal" bronze sculpture by Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his assistant Luigi Del Bianco containing "forty-two humans and two horses", located in Military Park, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United ...

'' by

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georg ...

Griffith Building The Griffith Building, also known as the Griffith Piano Company Building, is located at 605-607 Broad Street by Military Park in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey. It was built in 1927 and was added to the National Register of Hist ...

Hahne and Company Hahne & Company (pronounced Hayne), commonly known as Hahne's, was a department store chain based in Newark, New Jersey. The chain had stores located throughout the central and northern areas of New Jersey. History The firm was founded by ...

Symington House The Symington House, also known as the Symington–Continental House, is located at 2 Park Place in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The house, built in 1808, is the last of the great mansions that were on the north side of Mi ...

, and Trinity & St. Philip's Cathedral. With File:Americas Wars Newark NJ 3.JPG, ''

'' by Gutzon Borglum File:Broad Street by Military Park, Newark, NJ.jpg,

and

on Broad Street

Features

In the southwestern part of the park is the large ''

'' monument, created by

, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore. The sculpture itself forms the base of a large concrete sword built into the ground. The sword from the ground resembles a large dry fountain and from the air its shape is easily distinguished. The sword is about eighty yards long from the end of the statue to its tip; the blade is over ten feet across at its base. A bust of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

by Jacques Lipchitz was erected in 1965. The park also has an old drinking fountain with the phrase "My cup runneth over" carved around its base, and statues of Frederick Frelinghuysen and Philip Kearny. There is also an old fashioned carousel that was recently installed. A three-level underground parking garage is located beneath the park. The Military Park Newark Light Rail station lies under the southwest end of the park at Raymond Boulevard and Park Place. Located in the middle of the park is the casual restaurant and outdoor bar the Burg, which opened in the fall of 2015. The menu includes burgers, shakes, and salads.

Doane Park

Doane Park is a tenth-acre triangular piece of land north of Military Park, where Broad Street and Park Place veer off and is separated from Military Park by Rector Street. A statue of Monsignor George Hobart Doane, for whom the park is named, was unveiled in 1908. Doane was a rector at St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral and did much for the city including his work with the Essex County Park Commission.

Events

* Afro Beat Fest is a new annual festival in Downtown Newark of African and African diaspora culture including music, art, fashion, dance, crafts and cuisine. The inaugural Afro Beat Fest was held in the recently refurbished Military Park in July 2017. Afro Beat Fest is a reboot of an older festival that had begun in the 1980s called "Africa Newark," which had ended in 2006 after it lost city support. Mayor Ras Baraka said he and colleagues recalled the festival warmly from childhood and noted that the city worked with local organizers to revive it. * Jazz concerts are sometimes performed in Military Park. * On Thursdays during the fall, a farmers market is held on Park Place.

Gallery

File:JFK Lipchitz Newark NJ 1.JPG, Bust of President Kennedy File:Miltary Park Carousel jeh.jpg, Merry-go-round in park File:Philip Kearny by Henry Kirke Brown, Newark, NJ.jpg,

Statue of Philip Kearny ''Philip Kearny'' is an 1888 bronze sculpture of Philip Kearny by Henry Kirke Brown, installed in the United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C., as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. It is one of two statues donated by the state of ...

Henry Kirke Brown Henry Kirke Brown (February 24, 1814 in Leyden, Massachusetts – July 10, 1886 in Newburgh, New York) was an American sculptor. Life He began to paint portraits while still a boy, studied painting in Boston under Chester Harding, learned a lit ...

References

External links

Military Park official site

{{National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Geography of Newark, New Jersey Parks in Essex County, New Jersey Squares in Newark, New Jersey Tourist attractions in Newark, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Newark, New Jersey 1916 establishments in New Jersey Neighborhoods in Newark, New Jersey Historic district contributing properties in Newark, New Jersey Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places