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Riverbank Park
United States historic place From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Riverbank Park is a park in the Ironbound section of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The park was opened in 1910[3] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 16, 1998.[4] It is the smallest and one of the most heavily used parks in the Essex County Park System.[5]
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History
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The park was designed by the Olmsted Brothers, the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted.[3] The park land was acquired in 1907 and construction finished in 1910.[3] 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.[5]
An expansion took place between 1926 and 1931.[3] The baseball fields are on the former location of the Balbach Smelting & Refining Company, one of the largest metal processing companies in the country, which closed in the 1920s.[5]
In 1996, there was an attempt to build the Newark Bears, Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium at the site of the park, demolishing the park.[6] SPARK (Save the Park At RiverbanK) is a community group formed to save the park from destruction.[6] After an unsuccessful attempt to save the park via referendum, they were able to protect it through inclusion in the National Historic Register.[4]
SPARK's work also resulted in the remediation of contaminated soil, which was completed in 2003.[7]
In August 2011, plans were announced to create Newark Riverfront Park, next door to Riverbank Park along the Passaic River[8][9][10] which opened in August 2012.[11][12][13][14] A further extension of parkland along the river was announced in June 2016.[15][16] Work proceeded in 2017. Eventually it will reach Bridge Street Bridge.[17]
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Programming
Currently, SPARK hosts programs in the park including a Learning Program with the New Jersey Historical Society and Greater Newark Conservancy,[4] movie nights[18] and Music and Art Day.[19]
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References
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