House in the Ironbound

St. Stephen's Church is an Ironbound landmark. Built in 1874 for a German-speaking congregation, which it remained until the 1930s, the church is still Lutheran, but it presently uses Spanish and Portuguese in its services. The architect was George Staehlin and the interior has some of the most ornate woodwork in Newark. Locals call this site "the Five Corners."

The Ironbound is a large, close-knit, working-class, multi-ethnic neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. The neighborhood covers four square miles (10 km²). Historically, the area was called "Dutch Neck," "Down Neck," or simply "the Neck," because of the way the Passaic River curved to form what looked like a neck. It is also often referred to as the East Ward and is directly east of Penn Station and Downtown Newark. The following is a list of neighborhoods in Newark, New Jersey, USA. Broadway Dayton Downtown Central Ward Clinton Hill Fairmount Forest Hill The Ironbound Ivy Hill Roseville Seventh Avenue Springfield/Belmont University Heights Vailsburg Weequahic West Side Categories: Newark, New Jersey neighborhoods ... The Mutual Benefit building. ... Dayton is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey in the citys south ward. ... Military Park Downtown Newark is Newark, New Jerseys major central business and cultural district. ... Clinton Hill is a neighborhood in South Central, Newark, New Jersey. ... Fairmount is a neighborhood in the West Ward of Newark, New Jersey. ... House in Forest Hill Another stately house in Forest Hill. ... Mt. ... Roseville is a neighborhood in northwestern Newark, New Jersey, bordering Bloomfield and East Orange. ... Seventh Avenue, formerly known as the First Ward, is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jerseys North Ward. ... Springfield/Belmont, is a Central Ward neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. ... University Heights is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, so named because of the location of four academic institutions within its boundaries — Rutgers University (Newark Campus), the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), and Essex County College. ... Vailsburg is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jerseys West Ward. ... Weequahic (pronounced WEEK-wake or wee-KWAY-ic) is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jerseys south ward. ... The West Side neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, is bounded on the east by Bergen Street, on the south by Rose Terrace and Avon Avenue, on the west by Irvington and on the north by South Orange Avenue. ... Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1026 KB)pic of house in the Ironbound, taken by author, JSB File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1026 KB)pic of house in the Ironbound, taken by author, JSB File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (1920x2560, 619 KB)photo of landmark church in Ironbound, Newark. ... Download high resolution version (1920x2560, 619 KB)photo of landmark church in Ironbound, Newark. ... Nickname: The Brick City Map of Newark in Essex County Coordinates: County Essex Founded/Incorporated 1666/1836 Mayor Cory Booker, term of office 2006–2010 Area    - City 67. ... The Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey The Passaic River is a tributary of Newark Bay, approximately 80 mi (129 km long), in northern New Jersey in the United States. ...

The name "Ironbound" is said to have originated from the many forges and foundries that were found in this area during the latter half of the 19th century. However, the name could also have come from the rail tracks that surrounded the area when the railroads were constructed during the 1830s.

The Ironbound was an industrial neighborhood in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Workers at Benjamin Moore paints, Ballantine's Beer, the Murphy Varnish Company and Conmar Zippers lived next to railroad and port workers. The Ironbound was poorer than was the rest of Newark at that time. A legacy of that 19th century poverty can be seen in the neighborhood's architecture - there are very few brownstones or even brick-faced buildings in the district. The inhabitants were considered to be in such need of help that Protestant reformers established the Bethel Mission there in 1850. Today however the Ironbound is one of more affluent neighborhoods in Newark. Franklin Murphy (January 3, 1846–February 24, 1920) was the founder of the Murphy Varnish Company in Newark, New Jersey and the 42nd New Jersey Governor. ...

As it does today, the Ironbound had inhabitants of many ethnic groups in the 19th century, with Germans, Lithuanians, Italians, and Poles being prominent. Lithuanians built the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in 1894 and Trinity Church in 1902. St. Casimir's Church was founded under Polish auspices in 1908. As an example of the size of the German community in the Ironbound, prior to World War I, Wilson Avenue was called Hamburg Place.

Saloons were major meeting places for Ironbound workers in the era before radio and television. A 1912 survey found 122 saloons in the neighborhood. "The men, after eating a hasty supper in a dirty, crowded home or boarding house," a social worker noted, "quite naturally leave such unattractive surroundings to spend the evenings playing cards and drinking in a warm, well lighted saloon. Friends find it a convenient meeting place, work and wages are discussed, political arguments are frequent, and recent immigrants discover it an admirable school in which to learn English rapidly and gain an acquaintance with things American."

The Ironbound had a large African American population in the mid Twentieth century. Locally famous jazz singer Miss Rhapsody was born in the Ironbound. Sarah Vaughan grew up in Lincoln Park, but attended church at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Thomas Street. An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Today the Ironbound is known for being a Portuguese neighborhood. Portuguese roots in the area run deep, with the first immigrants having arrived in the 1910s. By 1921 there was a large enough Portuguese population to found Sport Club Portuguese, the first of over twenty Portuguese social clubs that would call the Ironbound home. Every year, people flock to the annual Portuguese Festival, an enormous celebration of Portuguese culture which attracts nearly half a million people.

Galician Spanish immigrants also settled in the Ironbound. In the 1930's Spanish Catholics built elaborate catacombs underneath the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The catacombs are indeed underground, but instead of being real burial places, they are the depositories of lifelike wax effigies of saints and martyrs. The walls, ceilings, and floors of the catacombs are decorated with mosaics and murals. The church itself that is above the catacombs was built in the 1850's for a German Baptist congregation, an example of ethnic succession. Catacombs Paris Catacombs Rome - entrance Catacombs Rome - entrance (detail) The original catacombs are a network of underground burial galleries near San Sebastiano fuori le mura, in Rome. ...

Many houses and apartments in the Ironbound are embellished with elaborate tilework. One common icon is Our Lady of Fatima, seen here.

The great influx of Portuguese came in the 1970s. Today, Portuguese immigration has peaked, but the Lusophone population is stable, thanks to immigration from Brazil. There is a Portuguese festival every June and a Brazilian festival in September. Brazilians and Portuguese are joined by immigrants from Ecuador and Mexico and a growing non-immigrant community working in New York City or Downtown Newark. The Brazilians have brought churrascaria restaurants, and schools for capoeira and samba music to the neighborhood. Download high resolution version (1920x2560, 712 KB)photo of Lady of Fatima in Ironbound, Newark. ... Download high resolution version (1920x2560, 712 KB)photo of Lady of Fatima in Ironbound, Newark. ... Our Lady of Fatima Our Lady of Fatima (pron. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Lusitanic. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Military Park Downtown Newark is Newark, New Jerseys major central business and cultural district. ... A churrascaria (shoo-HOSS-ka-REE-ah) is a Brazilian or Portuguese steakhouse. ... Capoeira or the Dance of War by Johann Moritz Rugendas, 1825, published 1835 Capoeira (IPA: ) is a Brazilian martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. ... Samba is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil. ...

The Ironbound avoided the decline of most of the rest of Newark for several reasons. First, the Ironbound was spared highway construction. Rather than going through the neighborhood, highways, like Interstate 78 and the New Jersey Turnpike, went around it. Speaking of Weequahic, Philip Roth said, "The neighborhood was destroyed by the highways as much as anything else." The Ironbound was also spared construction of the massive public housing units that became the breeding grounds for urban pathology. The Ironbound did see some public housing construction, but it was low-rise and within the fabric of the neighborhood. This Interstate Highway article needs to be cleaned up to conform to both a higher standard of article quality and accepted design standards outlined in the WikiProject U.S. Interstate Highways. ... The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey and is one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United States. ... Weequahic (pronounced weekwake) is a neighborhood in Newark, New Jerseys South Ward. ... Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (born March 19, 1933, Newark, New Jersey) is an American novelist. ... A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ...

Finally, the qualities of immigrant merchants, such as the Portuguese, should be given credit for the Ironbound's preservation. Many Portuguese-owned businesses like restaurants, cafes, bakeries, jewelers, sports clubs, and grocery stores line or surround Ferry Street. In particular, the neighborhood is often visited for its many well-known Portuguese, Spanish, and Brazilian restaurants.

The Ironbound is one of Newark's most vibrant neighborhoods. There are almost no vacant stores along Ferry Street, its commercial heart. The neighborhood has a mix of different home styles, from apartments in multi-family dwellings to single-family houses on small lots to two family homes. Many old industrial sites have been converted to modern detached townhouses.

The Ironbound in Popular Culture

Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega paid homage to this neighborhood in 1987 in her song entitled "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry." Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega (born July 11, 1959) is an American songwriter and singer known for her poetic lyrics and eclectic folk-inspired music. ...

Connie Francis was from the Ironbound section of Newark. Connie Francis (born December 12, 1938 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American pop singer best known for international hit songs such as Whos Sorry Now?, Where The Boys Are, and Everybodys Somebodys Fool. // Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero in Newarks Italian Down Neck or Ironbound...

This neighborhood has since been made more visible by Steven Spielberg, who used special effects to destroy five corners, St. Stephen's, the bridge, and everything else in his "War of the Worlds." Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (born December 18, 1946) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director and producer. ...

External links

• Ironbound Newark Blog Ironbound events, news, reviews, views, and YOU!
• A culinary photo tour of the annual Brazilian Independence Day celebration, with video (Off The Broiler blog).
• OLA New guide official web launch May 2006
• Ironbound Business Improvement District
• The New York Times: If You're Thinking of Living In The Ironbound
• Ironbound Community Corporation - a non-profit organization in the community
• Star-Ledger Article about the Ironbound catacombs
• Sport Club Português (in Portuguese)
• A tour of the Ironbound's Riverbank Park
• A tour of McWhorter Street
• A tour of Fleming Avenue
• War of the Worlds