OT: Working in Newark. Where do you live?
- Thread starter BrianLeonard23
- Start date
For me 50’s through 70’s had a different feel. I remember across from Sacred Heart Grammar there used to be an Orphanage. I believe St.Mary’s. And the local shopping and movie theater where you didn’t need a side piece to walk the surrounding streets. Hey it’s all good , no issues , it’s all perception.😜
I went to a Sacred Heart also. Great school but the nuns were tough. They like to pull hair and slap you down with a ruler.
Thats when I was there. Born in '59. Lived on Grand Avenue (not much of an Avenue - across South Orange Ave from Dairy Queen) until 1st grade. The moved to Sanford Ave where we lived until '76. Then to the suburbs.
Little League in Vailsburg Park. Winter ice skating at IVY Hill Park. Stickball at Lincoln School. Pick up games year round. Great times
We used to play tackle football on the lawn of that orphanage in the '70's. Pretty sure the building was empty then. Stanley Theater a few blocks down South Orange Ave.
One other tidbit of interest about Irvington. Olympic Park Amusement Park with the largest Chlorinated pool in the entire USA. The place from the late 1800’s until it closed in 1967 was a gathering place . Totally a shame where thousands came for great fun. The Merry Go Round was refurbished and has been in WDW since it’s opening.
My work territory in the early 80's included Irvington and sections of Newark including Vailsburg.
Have not been back to that area since the mid 90's.
I always thought Irvington was the single most depressed municipality in the State.
I have at one time or another worked in everyone of them
Have not been back to that area since the mid 90's.
I always thought Irvington was the single most depressed municipality in the State.
I have at one time or another worked in everyone of them
8th Grade class of '73 at Sacred Heart. '77 at SHP
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It was after 1980. Wonder how that happened and they still don’t know the how’s and why’s? 😜
What years did you work in Irvington ? It had to be after 1980 . Before that it was the largest town in the USA by population around 60 k citizens . 95% of it’s graduates attended 4 year institutions ( 3000 high school kids) . Yes it was your typical blue collar town. It collapsed after the mid 70’s and became not too long ago the crime capital of NJ. Newark’s demise led to old Essex County ‘s collapse in : East Orange ,Orange, Irvington and certain parts of Bloomfield, Belleville . Then Union County Hillside ,Elizabeth , Linden, Roselle fell into the pit as well.
When I was in Rahway, the guy next door was a lifelong Irvington resident until he resettled in Rahway, and told many stories on how great it used to be.
I sadly found out he passed two years ago, at 84.
What the heck happened there in Irvington ?
It was for many years the home to many great people and always had that typical small town feel. All those towns around Newark ‘s collapse were not what they are now. If you want the actual truth then talk to those who lived in Irvington prior to 1980. You will hear all kinds of BS but let’s just say it wasn’t like what it is now. Corrupt and nefarious leaders of those inner city towns destroyed what had been a great county.
Kless Diner - Irvington- use to be the best diner in the state.
Was that the dinner by the Dairy Queen on Nye Ave where it met Springfield Ave?
Yes sir. Big hangout Friday and Saturday nights after bars closed. Drinking age 18 back then.
Did you guys from Irvington, Hillside and Newark think that your neighborhoods would change so drastically soon when growing up?
I had an inkling. The families of many of my friends were moving out. Not sure if the flight to the suburbs was the cause of the change or was a reaction to the change. That’s a whole other discussion.
it's really sad that greedy politicians ruined so many cities, towns and neighborhoods in NJ, especially in North Jersey
I read that putting 280 through good neighborhoods in Newark and East Orange was really bad.
Working in Downtown Newark , why not, many people do especially if it's the right job.
Living in the city, probably not a good idea at this point in time even if things are looking up in some areas.
Right.
I assume somewhere in Newark becomes hip eventually . Just like Hoboken and JC. Two cities that you couldn’t give property away in not that long ago.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
Guest
Wow a “down neck” reference never thought id hear that on these message boards haha. My grandparents are from newark and the tales theyd tell us about old school newark really make me wish I grew up in their era. As they would tell me, “we didnt have much but we had it all”. Pretty much all my grandparents grew up in 2-3 bedroom apartments/duplexes with about 3-4X the amount of people as bedrooms. As italians they were treated pretty bad which is why they claim italian families are all so close haha because they had no one but themselves. I cant relate obviously as I grew up in a different era
It def will in some areas within Newark
Locking down for a year has slowed down the progress, hopefully it doesn't derail a lot of big projects around downtown, the Ironbound , along with other areas.
Going to some Devils and SHU games the last few years I noticed more people sticking around the area postgame in the nearby bars. People from the burbs were getting more comfortable in Newark.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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Newarks weird man. Theres some decent areas and literally just like 5-6 blocks away will be a war zone. Im a Realtor and always hit up my buddies who are cops in newark before showing houses to see whats going on, on that block. I dont feel comfortable going to alot areas considering I cant carry my piece, legally at least.
ironbound I have no problems in as the people are friendly and the food is great but parking is a complete bitch
JC and Newark where the same way . Same with nyc. Eventually there may be somewhere in Newark that becomes hip and trendy, even if it’s just a few blocks.
It will be interesting to see what happens with real estate if/when we get post covid . What happens to nyc and towns in nj along the train line with strong downtowns based on transit type development .
Suburbs were supposed to be on the decline . But now with work from home arrangements there isn’t a need for short commute times . Plus, many people have grown to like their cars, backyards and open spaces now . We will see.
I knew after the summer of 1965 when 300 ” children” from Newark came to Olympic Park for 5 cent ride day and 25 cents for all day pool. At 1 AM when the park closed they literally rioted through the backyards across 40th street, Coolidge, Harding Terrace onto Stuyvesant Ave. breaking windows all the way to Chancellor Ave. They then got on the #56 , #25 , #94 buses to their residences in Newark. 2 years later the Newark riots and families moved out to suburbia. Toms River /Brick, Parsippany , Maplewood, West and South Orange, Edison anywhere not in close proximity to Newark. So Irvington was not this destitute town attached to Newark but a viable blue collar town with great bars, diners and of course pizza and Chinese cuisine. Education was top notch and the mix of groups was not much different than all other areas of Essex and Union County ‘s back in the 60’s -70’s. transportation into downtown Newark and NYC was easy 45-50 minutes into NYC via airport ( Weequahic) or GSP express buses which started in the mid 60’s 30-35 down to Washington Street and Rutgers. You can knock all the old buildings down but you can never get back what you had.
Destroyed neighborhoods from Newark up thru West Orange. I had classmates that were displaced.
Palisades was more after Olympic Park... one on the border of Union -Irvington-Maplewood the other much further north . By longevity OP was open much longer and originally was started by German’s who made up a large percentage in the area of Essex County. It was the pool which really stood out and drew thousands to it.
