Four Corners (Newark)

Four Corners Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Looking south at Market and Broad with Newark City Hall in distance.
Location	Roughly bounded by Raymond Boulevard, Mulberry, Hill, and Washington Streets.
Area	85 acres (34 ha)
Architectural style	Renaissance, Italianate, 19th & 20th century eclectic
NRHP reference No.	00001061
NJRHP No.	126
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 8, 2000
Designated NJRHP	November 18, 1999

Four Corners at the intersection of Broad and Market Streets in Newark, New Jersey is site of the city's earliest settlement and the heart of Downtown that at one time was considered the busiest intersection in the United States. A twenty-two square block area radiating from the crossroads is a state and federal historic district.

The crossing was the center of the town when established in 1666, the home of founder Robert Treat located at the southwest corner. During the next centuries it remained the focal point of the city which grew around it. By 1834 the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company had established a terminal to the north and in 1869 the Newark and New York Railroad had one to the north. During the period of massive expansion at the turn of the century the district became city's modern business district, and site of its first skyscraper built by the Fireman's Insurance Company at the southest corner in 1910. Though faded in its former glory, the Four Corners district remains Newark's traditional center for commerce and business and since the late 2000s the focus of much interest in revitalizing retail, residential, and restaurant activity downtown.

Broad and Market

The names and the crossing of streets named Broad and Market is seen in many of the colonial cities in New Jersey, such as Paterson and Trenton and the United States, such as Philadelphia. In Newark, Broad Street, as the name suggests, is a wide avenue which runs north to Military Park and Broad Street Station, while to the south it passes Government Center and Symphony Hall. Market Street to the east passes Gateway Center and Newark Penn Station, while to the west are the Essex County Courthouse and the many university campuses located in the city. It has long been a busy crossroad. In 1915, Public Service counted over 280,000 pedestrian crossings in one thirteen-hour period. Eleven years later, on October 26, 1926, a State Motor Vehicle Department check at the Four Corners counted 2,644 trolleys, 4,098 buses, 2657 taxis, 3474 commercial vehicles, and 23,571 automobiles. Between 1925 and 1939 a manned twenty-four foot tall traffic control tower stood at the intersection.

Historic District

The Four Corners Historic District is roughly bounded by Raymond Boulevard, Mulberry Street, Hill Street and Washington Street. The district established in 1999-2000 encpasses an area of 85 square acres and includes many buildings which themselves are listed on the national and state resgister of historic places, including Newark City Hall. The area is considered vital in the redevelopment of the city, located between city attractions, residential neighborhoods, educational and commericial institutions. Some buildings within the district, though more than 100 years old, are considered expendable in the greater development planning. To that end the demolish of some will lead to the creation of retail corridor between the Prudential Center and University Heights.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey
• List of tallest buildings in Newark