Newark Landmark Treasures was published in 2016 by the Newark Landmarks and Preservation Committee (NPLC) as part of Newark’s celebration of the 350th anniversary of its founding in 1666, the third oldest major city on the United States (after Boston and New York). Research assistance was provided by four students in Prof. Schuman’s “Envisioning Newark” seminar - April Covington, Fathia Elmenghani, Brian Engelmann and Edward Lay. Schuman and Gosser, along with co-editor Mark Gordon, are members of the Board of Trustees of NPLC, now known as Newark Landmarks. The individual narratives convey traditional information categories -- date of construction, original use, architecture -- but also attempt to place the building in its historical context, both when it was built and as it has evolved over time. As such they offer a window into the history of the city as its economic base and population demographics have changed. Here are condensed summaries of two entries.
Newark Landmarks was founded in 1973, the same year as the New Jersey School of Architecture. It is a “non-profit, volunteer based citywide advocate for the historic and cultural resource preservation of Newark”. Harlyn Thomson, the first dean of the New Jersey School of Architecture, served on the founding executive committee of the NPLC.
The organization was behind the establishment of the Newark Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission and is responsible for most of the designated landmarks appearing on the state and/or national register of historic places. In 2006 NJIT received the organization’s Donald Dust award for the preservation and adaptive reuse of Eberhardt Hall. Elizabeth Del Tufo, current president and long-time leading force in the organization, received an honorary doctorate from NJIT in 2008.
