Harriet Tubman Square Explained

Harriet Tubman Square (formerly known as Washington Park) is a city square in Downtown Newark, New Jersey.^[1] It is the northernmost of the three colonial era downtown parks in the city, along with Lincoln Park and Military Park. The triangular park is bounded by Broad Street, Washington Street, and Washington Place at the end of Halsey Street. It is home to several public monuments and is surrounded by historic civic and commercial buildings. In a ceremony on Juneteenth 2022, the city re-named the park in honor of Harriet Tubman.^{[2] [3]}

District

James Street Commons Historic District
Nocat:	yes
Nrhp Type:	cp
Coordinates:	40.7446°N -74.1707°W
Added:	January 9, 1978
Refnum:	78001758
Designated Other1 Name:	New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Designated Other1 Abbr:	NJRHP
Designated Other1 Link:	New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Designated Other1 Date:	February 10, 1977
Designated Other1 Number:	1275^[4]
Designated Other1 Num Position:	bottom
Designated Other1 Color:	ffc94b

Originally known as the North Common or the Upper Green,^[5] the park is a contributing property to the James Street Commons Historic District and is surrounded by notable landmarks. It forms the northern end of the city's central business district.

The North Reformed Church was built in 1857-59 without the use of ore, iron, or steel. The Ballantine House, a National Historic Landmark, was built by the brewer of Ballantine beer, John Ballantine, in 1885. It is part of the Newark Museum. The main Newark Public Library was built in 1903. Residential brownstones are found along James Street.

Among the office buildings located in the district are the American Insurance Company Building, One Washington Park, IDT Corporation, 550 Broad Street, 33 Washington Street, and the Cablevision Call Center. Several facilities of Rutgers-Newark and the headquarters of Audible are on the park.^[6]

Statues

Several commemorative statues and tablets are in the park:

• Indian and the Puritan (1916), one of four public worksby sculptor Gutzon Borglum in Newark.
• George Washington (1912), an A J. Massey Rhind work, depicts the general taking leave from his troops at Rockingham.^[7]
• A statue of Christopher Columbus was made in Rome by Giuseppe Ciochetti and presented to the city by Newark's Italians in 1927.^{[8] [9] [10]} It was removed by the city (with pedestal left in place) in June 2020 to prevent its possible toppling in a Black Lives Matter protest.^{[11] [12]} The plinth was removed in 2022. The statue was in a vacant city lot, as of October 2020.^[13]
• A work by Karl Gerhardt of Seth Boyden, who was one of Newark's leading citizens, captain of industry in the 19th century, an inventor of patent leather and innovation for train locomotives.^[14]
• Shadow of a Face by Nina Cooke John is a memorial to Harriet Tubman installed in 2023.^[15] It replaced the monument to Columbus.

Wednesdays at Washington Park

Since 2009, a weekly green market and outdoor concert is held at the park from June to October.^{[16] [17] [18]}

Transportation

The Newark Light Rail Washington Park station lies along the Broad Street side of the park. Riverfront Stadium station is a block away. The Newark Broad Street Station, served by New Jersey Transit (NJT), is two blocks north. Numerous buses serve Newark and environs, including Newark Liberty International Airport.^[19]

See also

• List of public art in Newark, New Jersey
• Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
• Mulberry Commons
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey
• List of tallest buildings in Newark
• List of monuments dedicated to George Washington

References

40.7427°N -74.1718°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: TAPinto .
2. Web site: Newark to rename Washington Park to honor Harriet Tubman, replace Columbus statue with hers. 8 October 2020.
3. News: Strunsky . Steve . June 20, 2022 . On Juneteenth holiday, Newark renames Washington Park as Harriet Tubman Square . NJ.com . August 23, 2022.
4. Web site: New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County . New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office . 3 . January 10, 2010 . April 25, 2010.
5. News: Walking Tour 1: Newark History . www.newarktours . 3 November 2015.
6. Web site: NJ.com. Dan Ivers NJ Advance Media for. 2016-01-11. Audible to expand operation into historic Newark church. 2020-06-29. nj. en.
7. Web site: George Washington, (sculpture).. siris-artinventories.si.edu.
8. Web site: Newark - Christopher Columbus Statue in Washington Park. vanderkrogt.net. 3 November 2015.
9. Web site: Newark's Christopher Columbus. newarkhistory.com. 3 November 2015.
10. Web site: Newark - Christopher Columbus Statue in Washington Park. 2020-06-29. statues.vanderkrogt.net.
11. Web site: NJ.com. Rebecca Panico NJ Advance Media for. 2020-06-26. Another Christopher Columbus statue removed from N.J. city park. 2020-06-29. nj. en.
12. Web site: NJ.com. Rebecca Panico NJ Advance Media for. 2020-06-26. Another Christopher Columbus statue removed from N.J. city park. 2020-07-01. nj. en.
13. Web site: Rebecca . Panico . 2020-10-09 . City said Columbus statue it took down was in storage. It’s outside, in a vacant lot, on the ground. . 2023-03-13 . nj.com . en.
14. Web site: Seth Boyden Statue. 2020-06-29. www.newarkhistory.com.
15. https://www.nj.com/news/2023/03/harriet-tubman-monument-unveiled-in-newark-honors-underground-railroad-conductor.html
16. Web site: Wednesdays at Washington Park. 2020-06-29. www.newarkpulse.com. en.
17. Web site: "WEDNESDAYS AT WASHINGTON PARK" - Glocally Newark. glocallynewark.com. 3 November 2015.
18. Web site: Wednesdays at Washington Park in Newark New Jersey profile at farmers market online. farmersmarketonline.com. 3 November 2015.
19. Web site: New Jersey Transit. njtransit.com. 3 November 2015. March 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180324072339/http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=PressReleaseTo&PRESS_RELEASE_ID=449. dead.