Mulberry Commons facts for kids
Mulberry Commons is a cool public park in Newark, New Jersey. It was first suggested in 2005 to be the main part of a big area in Downtown Newark. This area is surrounded by important places like Gateway Center, Newark Penn Station, Government Center, and the Prudential Center. The Prudential Center is a huge arena that opened in 2007 and can hold 19,000 people.
The city got the land for the park when the arena was being built, but the park project didn't move forward for a while. In March 2016, Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced that the city was looking for ideas to design the park.
The official start of building the park happened on October 2, 2017. The first part of the park officially opened on May 30, 2019. This first part includes a city square that is about 2.5 acres big. The next part of the park, called Phase 2, will include a footbridge that is about 0.5 miles long. This bridge will go over McCarter Highway and the Northeast Corridor train tracks. It will connect directly to the train platforms at Penn Station. This will also link the park to the Ironbound neighborhood and eventually to Newark Riverfront Park.
The area around Mulberry Commons is also being developed. Much of this land is owned by a company called Edison Properties. They, along with other partners, are turning the old Newark Warehouse Building into shops and offices. This new building is called Ironside Newark.
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Park Location and History
Newark's Chinatown
The park is close to where Newark's Chinatown used to be a long time ago, in the early 1900s. Back then, thousands of Chinese people lived in this area. Now, only a few hundred Chinese people still live nearby.
Old Train Tracks
The land where the park is now used to be a rail yard. This was the end point for the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Newark and New York Railroad. Train service stopped here a while ago. Before the park was built, the land was used as a parking lot by Edison Park Fast operations, which owns many parking lots in the city.
Triangle Park Idea
The park was first called Triangle Park because the land is shaped like a triangle and is about 3 acres big. It's located in a larger block surrounded by Edison Place, Lafayette Street, McCarter Highway, and Mulberry Street.
The city bought the land for the arena and the park for about $9.4 million. This involved several steps to buy and transfer the land from different owners, including Edison Properties.
Park Plans and Development
The park was first planned to be a city square for new homes and businesses around the Prudential Center.
Edison Properties, which owns land around the park, had earlier ideas for a simpler park with open space. They also suggested turning the old Central Railroad of New Jersey bridge into a walking bridge. This bridge would go over McCarter Highway and the train tracks south of Penn Station. It would connect to the Ironbound neighborhood. This idea was thought to cost between $40-$60 million.
In February 2015, the Municipal Council of Newark looked at different plans for the park. Some plans wanted to change the original idea. Mayor Ras J. Baraka said that a simple park would cost the city about $200,000 to $300,000 a year to take care of. He felt it was a very important piece of land and should be used in a way that would bring money to the city.
In March 2016, the city announced a new plan. This plan was to build a 2.5-acre public park and a 0.5-mile footbridge. This bridge would connect directly to the train platforms at Newark Penn Station and end at a park in the Ironbound neighborhood named for Peter Francisco. Companies like Edison Properties, the Prudential Center, the New Jersey Devils, and J&L Parking Corporation have given money and will help develop the rest of the land for businesses and homes.
New Buildings and Businesses
The Newark Warehouse Building, also known as the Central Graphic Arts Building, is a famous building from 1907. It's located next to the park. The first big project is changing this building into Ironside Newark. M&M Mars-Wrigley signed a lease in 2017 to have offices there. Some of their employees will move from Chicago to this new location. Edison Properties will also move its main office there.
The City of Newark Parking Authority is building a five-story parking garage. It will have 515 parking spots, shops on the ground floor, a cafe with outdoor seating, and offices for the agency. This is being built at the corner of Mulberry Street and Green Street.
There is also a plan for a tall residential building at 777 McCarter Highway. It's proposed to be 33 stories high and about 425 feet tall. The city approved this building in 2018.
Images for kids
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A view of Mulberry Commons looking towards Gateway Center and Ironside Newark (2019).
See also
In Spanish: Mulberry Commons para niños
