Downtown Newark | |
|---|---|
Central business district and neighborhood | |
 Aerial view of Downtown Newark | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| City | Newark |
| County | Essex |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 13,581 [1] |
| ZIP Codes | 07102 |
| Area code(s) | 862 and 973 |
Downtown Newark is the central business district of Newark in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
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Downtown is the site of the original Puritan settlement of Newark located at a bend in the Passaic River. The first settlers, led by Robert Treat, landed not far from the present site of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The intersection of Broad and Market Streets, known as the Four Corners was once considered the busiest intersection in the nation, and is the heart of traditional downtown. [2]
Most of Newark's office buildings are located in this area including Prudential Financial's Headquarters (also known as Prudential Plaza) and their new office tower that was recently constructed on Broad Street across from Military Park. In the post-World War II era, downtown seemed to be moving north during the New Newark architectural period, in the direction of Washington Park. Since the 1967 civil unrest, it has been shifting slightly east in the direction of Newark Penn Station, the Gateway Center and the Passaic River. Panasonic constructed their North American HQ building on Raymond Blvd near McCarter Hwy. There are several more new office buildings including One Newark Center, The Legal And Communications Building, The two Penn Plaza office buildings, which are home to NJ Transit and Horizon Blue Cross, the Claremont building on McCarter Hwy, which is office space for the FBI and several other federal agencies, and a few other office buildings. There is also several projects in the design stages for this area.
Downtown Newark is the home to Newark's major cultural venues - the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the 3,000-seat Newark Symphony Hall, Prudential Center, the critically acclaimed Newark Museum of Art, Military Park, and the New Jersey Historical Society. Downtown is also home to Seton Hall University School of Law and Aljira, an emerging artist's gallery. It is also home to historic Grace Church (Episcopal), and the Government Center, an area of municipal and federal government offices, as well as the Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, where visitors can find out all things happening in the city of Newark. It was once home to a Chinatown neighborhood centered on Mulberry Arcade, which was off of Mulberry Street, near Lafayette and Green Streets. At the intersection of Mulberry St & Green St the Newark Parking Authority is building a five floor parking deck which will also feature office space for the Parking Authority and a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Many of downtown's cultural and historical sites are linked by the unmarked Lenape Trail, which also leads to Branch Brook Park, the Watchung Mountains and the Passaic Meadows on this yellow-blazed trail.
The $375 million Prudential Center, home to the New Jersey Devils, opened on October 25, 2007, with the first of ten concerts by Bon Jovi. Since then numerous "big name" acts have performed there, the Rolling Stones pay per view 50th anniversary concert in 2013 was broadcast from the Prudential Center. At the time, the arena was the New York metropolitan area's first all-new professional sports venue in over two decades. The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards show took place there on August 26. [3]
