Book Review : RISE & FALL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK

[SnakeTom]

If any of you are intereseted in the Politics & History of Newark, NJ (our beloved home town) I am reading a very interesting book on the topic: HOW NEWARK BECAME NEWARK - THE RISE, FALL & REBIRTH OF AN AMERICAN CITY. by Brad Tuttle, 2009. OK I don't get the Rebirth part either but I have not gotten to the last chapter yet. Actually I started reading the book in the middle starting with the 20th Century as my interest lies there much more than in colonial times.

Just a few points of note: Every Mayor except for 2 since 1930 has been at least indicted on corruption charges if not convicted (not counting Booker who still has time). There were 2 political parties or blocs over this time from 1930 to 1970 & they were not the Dems or Republicans. One party was the "Irish" & the other the "Jews & Italians". The Irish ostensbly were billed as the reformers (Mayors Murphy & Carlin) while the Jewish/Itialian bloc made no pretense about it - The were the Mob backed candidates according to the author (Mayors Ellenstein, Villani & Addonizio). Equally interesting was how the Newark Housing Authority & Urban Renewal projects destroyed the city & it's tax base by eliminating neighborhoods & shopping districts while chasing lower & middle income working class residents out of town. People were displaced from their homes with promises of better housing for less money in the projects only to find out that they earned too much money to qualify for the new housing after their homes were leveled. A sizable percentage of them left the city never to return. 8th Ave the main shopping hub & restaurant district in the Italian North Ward ceased to exist as the Ave was leveled for the Columbus homes. Also 50% of the displaced merchants never returned to the City. How quick was white exodus from the City? Well for example in 1960 Weequahic HS was 81% white (mostly Jewish). 6 years later in 1966 the percentage was 33% white and this was one year before the riots. The percentages at West Side HS were very similar (once the Irish section of the City). Anyway the book is an interesting view of how mismanagement & corruption as well as Federal policies aided in the destruction of Newark as well many other cities like it in the years from the Great Depression thru the post WW2 era.

PS: I'm just starting the Chapter about the Riots & events leading up to them so this is only a partial book review.

Tom K

 

[HALL85]

Tom, thanks for the tip. Newark is one of those cities that has a fascinating and infamous history. The 40th anniversary of the riots that was covered in the NSL several years ago provided a great chronology of the events leading up to the unrest including some of the housing decisions that you mentioned, not to mention Tom Hayden's involvement. Newark is far from being a "destination city", but the whole area around NJPAC, The Rock and now Red Bull Stadium (technically in Harrison) has certainly undergone a rebirth and crime is down considerably. March marked the first month in over 40 years that no murder was recorded. Props to the Chief of Police, Gary McCarthy, a great common sense cop. He's destined for bigger and better things if he should so choose.

I have/had a ton of relatives who were cops, longshoreman, musicians and other "assorted characters" in Newark from the 20's to the 80's, and I recall stories of those "other" parties.

Good stuff,,,,thanks.

 

[PiratePride]

Just put this on my "must read" list. Thanks

I still miss the statue of the old Krueger King on Belmont Avenue... lol

edited: Don't mean to hi-jack this thread with my reminisces about Newark but I just did a google search to see if there were any pics of the Krueger statue ... there were none.. Am I mistaken about that statute being by the Krueger Brewery??? I did find out however that Krueger was the first brewery in the world to put beer in cans..... How 'bout that?... oops wrong beer.
This post was edited on 6/2 11:57 AM by PiratePride

 

[SnakeTom]

I think the statute was by the brewery though it might have been by the Kreuger Mansion which I think was on High Street.

Tom K

 

[bucbee]

The Knight/King holding aloft in his right hand a chalice of beer,
was in front of the Krueger Brewery on Belmont Ave. And how about
Newark having Ballantine's, Feigenspan(Pride of Newark), Hensler's,
Pabst Blue Ribbon and Anheuser Busch Breweries. That Brewmasters
gave Newark water an 'A' rating for brewing beer.

My office during the '67' Riots was on Johnson Ave. off of Clinton
Ave., and about a block north of South Side/Shabazz High School.

We took over a building formerley known as the Clinton Hill Medical
center. Needless to say, those were interesting times, going to,
during, and leaving work and returning home. Often times requiring
car escorts for our female personnel,south down Johnson Ave. to
Hawthorne Ave. left turn to Elizabeth Ave. right turn past the
Weequahic Diner(remember those Coconut/Banana/Chocolate Cream pies);
then south along the westside of the Weequahic Park to Lyons Ave.,
then right turn on Lyons Ave. and proceed with the convoy to the
intersection with Springfield Ave.; where we would disperse.

I went to St.Benedict's Prep on High St. in Newark,4 years, and
had my home office in the Essex County Courts building also on
High St.,for 35 years.

In those days downtown Newark had five(5) first run Movie Houses,
including the Adams that featured the top bands and vocalists in
the country. And the Minsky's burlesk on Washington St @ Brandford
Place.

Shopping at Bamberger's, Kresge's, Hahne's,Ohrbach's,Bond's,Larkey's.
Snacks at numerous eateries.
This post was edited on 6/2 9:51 PM by bucbee
This post was edited on 6/2 9:53 PM by bucbee

 

[SnakeTom]

Thanks for the input Buc. By the way you left out S. Klein's On the Square as one of Newark's great Department stores. Your Johnson Ave office was in the Clinton Hill Section of Newark & the book also talks about how quick the ethnic & racial makeup of that area changed. Clinton Hall & High St was once the elite addresses in Newark. Many of the Beer Baron's lived in the High Street Mansions.

One of the interesting things talked about was the ethnic politics of city life. Newark has had many immigration waves. First the Germans, then in order the Irish, Jews, Italians, African Americans, Hispanics & most recently the Portuguese & Spaniards. Leo Carlin was considered a very popular Mayor & reformer. He was elected three times yet in 1962 he was trounced by Hugh Addonizio who got 67% of the vote. What happened? Well for one thing his Irish political base moved out of the City before the other ethnic groups. Secondly he was in office when the Urban Renewal started (a well meaning idea implemented extremely poorly). And third and most significantly his Administration ignored the growing African Population. No black people were appointed to positions of authority despite their growing numbers. The police & fire departments remained segregated. Addonizio capitalized on this by sweeping the African American vote to go along with his Italian & Jewish base. A text book lesson in ethnic politics resulting in a blow out election win for Addonozio. Unfortunately for him as Mayor he could not quell the racial discontent & serious issues facing the City. The biggest problem over the years was the exodus of the upper & middle classes for suburbia leaving a very poor city with decaying neighborhoods & a declining tax base.

Tom K

 

[cernjSHU]

Sounds like an interesting read. The Spaniards then the Portuguese are what held the last bastion of Newark together, the Ironbound section alive and thriving. Go "Down Neck" and you can be safe, eat a great meal and have a nice couple of drinks.

Most Spaniards moved out a decade or two ago. Now it appears the Portuguese are moving out as well. The Latino wave of immigrants including the Brazilians, Mexicans and Columbians are going to be the dominant ethnics groups in the Ironbound. Will they be as successful as the previous ethnic groups? Most of the wealth including land ownership is still controlled by the Spaniards, the Portuguese and Italians.

 

[SnakeTom]

Since a few people had asked for information on this book title, I'm bumping it back up to the top of the page.

Tom K