29-678: Riverbank Park is a park in the Ironbound section of Newark , Essex County , New Jersey , United States. The park was opened in 1910 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 16, 1998. It is the smallest and one of the most heavily used parks in the Essex County Park System . The park was designed by the Olmsted Brothers , the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted . The park land
58-828: A local community organizing and advocacy organization called the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) and an offshoot group the Ironbound Committee Against Toxic Waste (ICATW). ICC and ICATW have worked over the years with other local and national groups and figures such as Greenpeace , Lois Gibbs , and the Newark Coalition for Neighborhoods. Over the years they have worked on a number of environmental justice issues including airplane noise, dioxin, pollution and fumes. In 1983, dangerous levels of dioxin were discovered at an abandoned chemical factory in
87-704: A statewide recognized festivity. Typically held in the first or second weekend of September, the Brazilian day festival takes place also in Ferry Street. Various street vendors, musical concerts, and restaurants show support for Brazilian culture. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel , the Ironbound's first Italian parish, holds an annual Italian festival. The Ironbound used to mainly consist of Italians , Polish , Portuguese , and Spaniard Immigrants. As time went on many Italian and Polish immigrants have moved out of
116-554: Is also the location for most soccer fans to come and celebrate. Fans walk up and down the street while others decorate their cars and celebrate the victory of their soccer team .. Typically held in the first or second weekend of August, the Ecuadorian Day Parade & festival take place in Ferry Street. In this event various businesses and politicians attend the parade and support the Ecuadorian culture in
145-657: Is considered by many to be one of the best elementary schools in the city and the K-5 South Street School. In fact, Ann Street School received the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence from the US Department of Education. This competitive award had not been awarded to a Newark Public School before. In addition, the award prompted then Vice President of the US, Al Gore, to visit Ann Street to promote
174-535: Is in the Ironbound district. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel , the Ironbound's first Italian parish, faces the park. The church holds an annual Italian festival which attracts Italian-American people that live in the neighborhood, and Italians who moved out of the Ironbound. A chain of parkland along the Passaic River , especially along the downward "curve" in the river that gave the Ironbound neighborhood its nickname of "Down Neck," offers waterfront recreation in
203-450: The U.S. state of New Jersey . It is a large working-class multi-ethnic community, covering about 4 square miles (10 km ). Historically, the area was called "Dutch Neck," "Down Neck," or simply "the Neck," for its location by a bend of the Passaic River . Part of Newark's East Ward, the Ironbound is directly east of Newark Penn Station and Downtown Newark , and south and west of
232-634: The 1910s. By 1921 there was a large enough Portuguese population to found Sport Club Portuguese, the first of over twenty Portuguese social clubs that would call the Ironbound home. The following sites in the Ironbound are on the National Register of Historic Places : Ferry Street is the main commercial strip in the area. In 2017, the New York Times described the neighborhood as: Four square miles populated in large part by Portuguese, Spanish and Latin American immigrants and their descendants,
261-493: The 1920s. Other large industrial buildings included Murphy Varnish Works . The Ironbound has experienced several waves of immigration. The first wave, starting in the 1830s, came from the German states. Wrote historian Charles Cummings, "Overnight, whole sections of the Ironbound became Irish and German". Polish and Italian immigrants arrived in the latter half of the 19th century, followed by Portuguese and Spanish starting in
290-710: The Chocolate Factory. Ironbound has three housing projects within its boundaries: Hyatt Court, Pennington Court, and Terrell Homes (formerly Franklin Delano Roosevelt Homes). Tenants and activists have recently been in a battle with the Newark Housing Authority to save Terrell Homes, which the Authority had planned to demolish. The Ironbound has a "national reputation" for being a leader in environmental justice led by
319-507: The Ironbound has the intimacy and hustle of a European market town. “We walk to the bakery, the fishmonger, the wine store,” said [the director of the Newark Museum of Art ]. (He also walks to work.) “It really is an extraordinarily agreeable lifestyle.” Today, the Ironbound is known for being a Portuguese neighborhood. TAP Air Portugal has its corporate office in the neighborhood. Ironbound Volunteer Ambulance Squad has been serving
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#1732798572681348-453: The Ironbound. The Diamond Alkali Company was largely responsible for this pollution through their heavy production of Agent Orange between 1951 and 1969. The off-site cleanup was completed by 1986, and in 1989 the site received a permanent impermeable cap. In the 1980s residents protested against a garbage incinerator in the neighborhood. The incinerator was built in 1990 but residents have continued to protest environmental issues over
377-524: The Ironbound. However, there are still significant numbers of residents of Italian and Polish descent residing in the Ironbound. Recent immigrants include large numbers of Brazilians and Ecuadorians. 2000s census demographics include: 57.46% White/Caucasian/European (Mainly consisting of Italian , Spanish , Polish , and other European Ethnicity) 34.94% Hispanic & Latino (Mainly consisting of Ecuadorians , Etc.) 0.95% Asian/American Indian 4.68% Black/African American 1.97% Muiti-Racial This park
406-678: The archdiocese announced that St. Casimir, St. Benedict, and St. Lucy Filippini would merge into the Ironbound Catholic Academy on the St. Casimir site. There is also the Our Lady of Fatima Nursery, a Pre-K institution and one Portuguese Language School known at Escola Luis de Camões. Newark Public Library 's Van Buren Branch Library serves the Ironbound neighborhood. The library opened on September 23, 1923. A renovated and expanded branch opened on November 19, 1997. About 60% of
435-472: The city. Kayaking and riverboat tours of the city are offered in the summer months. From east to west along the downward "neck" of the Passaic, parkland includes: The Newark Public Schools operates six elementary and K-8 schools in the area. Schools serving Ironbound include Wilson Avenue School, Hawkins Street School, Lafayette Street School and Oliver Street School. In addition is Ann Street School, which
464-620: The community since 1952. Ironbound also has its own newspaper. Many Portuguese still live in the Ironbound, but many are moving out to other neighborhoods in New Jersey, Including South River , Livingston , Clark , Westfield , Watchung , Old Bridge , etc. A small sitting park east of Penn Station is named in honor of Peter Francisco , a Portuguese-born patriot of the American War of Independence. An obelisk in Francisco's memory
493-670: The country, which closed in the 1920s. In 1996, there was an attempt to build the Newark Bears , Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium at the site of the park, demolishing the park. SPARK (Save the Park At RiverbanK) is a community group formed to save the park from destruction. After an unsuccessful attempt to save the park via referendum, they were able to protect it through inclusion in the National Historic Register. SPARK's work also resulted in
522-437: The former Ballantine brewery site. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark operates the Ironbound Catholic Academy, a PK-8 school in Ironbound. As of 2004 many residents of Ironbound send their children to parochial schools. Ironbound used to have three other Catholic elementary schools, including Academy of St. Benedict, a PreK-8 school, St. James, both elementary and high school, and St. Lucy Filippini Academy. In 2005
551-481: The fumes were produced by its burning of pesticides improperly disposed and agreed to new waste management procedures. 40°43′30″N 74°09′40″W / 40.72500°N 74.16111°W / 40.72500; -74.16111 Murphy Varnish Works Established in 1865, Murphy Varnish Works was once the largest varnish-producing company in Newark , Essex County , New Jersey , United States. The company
580-412: The importance of the upcoming 2000 US Census. East Side High School serves Ironbound high school students. As of 2004 most of the elementary schools were built over 100 years prior to the time. In the 2000s, an increase in housing lead to an overcrowding of Ironbound-area schools. At the time the school district planned to replace several of the elementary schools and build a new East Side High School in
609-615: The park including a Learning Program with the New Jersey Historical Society and Greater Newark Conservancy , movie nights and Music and Art Day. This article about a property in New Jersey on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ironbound The Ironbound is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County , in
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#1732798572681638-464: The real estate market in the Ironbound is two- and three-family houses. Many houses built by the Portuguese include tile details and aluminum siding. In the past ten to fifteen years, more luxury condos and apartments have been built in the area. Several old factory buildings have been converted into lofts or apartments including Textile Lofts, Button Factory Lofts, Murphy Varnish Factory, and
667-514: The remediation of contaminated soil, which was completed in 2003. In August 2011, plans were announced to create Newark Riverfront Park , next door to Riverbank Park along the Passaic River which opened in August 2012. A further extension of parkland along the river was announced in June 2016. Work proceeded in 2017. Eventually it will reach Bridge Street Bridge . Currently, SPARK hosts programs in
696-485: The river. The neighborhood is connected by the Jackson Street Bridge over the river to Harrison and Kearny . The area was mostly farmland until the 1830s, when industry and immigration began increasing at a rapid pace. The name "The Ironbound" is said to derive from the large metalworking industry in the area or from the network of railroad tracks that surrounded the neighborhood. The Ironbound
725-690: The years. Bright pink and purple fumes were often seen spewing from the facility but Covanta , the company operating the incinerator, blamed a local hospital for improperly disposed medical waste. In summer 2019, ICC partnered with Earthjustice , a nonprofit public interest organization that litigates to protect the environment , and the Environmental Advocacy Clinic at Vermont Law School urged state officials to investigate. Covanta has been found many hundreds of times to exceed air pollution limits or to fail to abide by required safety regulations. Covanta eventually acknowledged that
754-594: Was acquired in 1907 and construction finished in 1910. 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. An expansion took place between 1926 and 1931. The baseball fields are on the former location of the Balbach Smelting & Refining Company , one of the largest metal processing companies in
783-534: Was an industrial neighborhood in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The neighborhood was home to Hensler's Beer Brewery, P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company (in 1954 Newark's largest employer) and the Feigenspan Brewery . Balbach Smelting & Refining Company , now the location of Riverbank Park , was the second largest metal processing enterprise in the United States until its closure in
812-558: Was founded by Franklin Murphy , who later created the Essex County park system as a New Jersey legislator, and served as the 31st governor of New Jersey from 1902 to 1905. The company closed in 1950. One of the six buildings operated by the company in the Ironbound neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 9, 1979, but remained vacant until 2016, when Javier Meleiro, restored it and converted it into 46 rental apartments. This article about
841-692: Was raised in the park by the Portuguese community in 1976. Peter Francisco Park also features a memorial to Portuguese-American war veterans dedicated in 2018 as well as the Ironbound Immigrants Memorial, dedicated in 2019. Every year, people flock to the annual Portuguese Parade & Festival , known as Portugal Day, "Dia de Portugal" (typically held the first or second weekend in June), an enormous celebration of Portuguese culture. During Portugal Day Weekend, many people come out to celebrate Portuguese-American culture. Ferry Street
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