James Street Commons Historic District

The James Street Commons Historic District is a 65 acre historic district located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 9, 1978, for its significance in architecture, art, community planning and development, education, industry, and social history. There was a small boundary increase on September 22, 1983.

History and description
When first surveyed in 1977 for landmark status, the district had 425 structures. Since then about 170 historic buildings in the district have been demolished, or about 40% of the district's urban fabric. When buildings are demolished, the predominant land use becomes surface parking. Rutgers University, Edison ParkFast, St. Michael's Hospital, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology are the main owners of surface parking lots and structures within the district. In 2020, the actions of NJIT president Joel Bloom with demolition of the nationally landmarked Warren Street School resulted in the historic district being listed among the ten most endangered historic places in New Jersey.

Contributing properties

 * Washington Park (Newark) aka Harriet Tubman Square
 * American Insurance Company Building
 * Newark Public Library
 * Newark Museum
 * St. Michael's Hospital
 * Pro-Cathedral of Saint Patrick

Notable people

 * Guy Sterling - James Street resident, author, and reporter
 * Clement Alexander Price - American historian
 * Jeremiah O'Rourke - Irish-American architect at 45 Burnet Street
 * Seth Boyden - demolished workshop was in the neighborhood
 * George Westinghouse - demolished factory was just outside the district
 * John Cotton Dana - founder of the Newark Public Library and Newark Museum
 * Peter Ballantine - Scottish-American industrialist
 * Elvin W. Crane - politician and relative of author Stephen Crane
 * Edward Weston - chemist and engineer, competitor with Thomas Edison
 * Louis Bamberger - businessman and philanthropist, property owner in the area