Forest Hill, Newark, New Jersey

Forest Hill Historic District
House in Forest Hill
Location Roughly bounded by Verona Avenue, Mt. Prospect Avenue, 2nd Avenue and Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey
Coordinates 40°46′22″N 74°10′14″W / 40.77278°N 74.17056°W / 40.77278; -74.17056Coordinates: 40°46′22″N 74°10′14″W / 40.77278°N 74.17056°W / 40.77278; -74.17056
Area 256 acres (104 ha)
Architect Multiple
Architectural style Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, Queen Anne
NRHP Reference # 90001193[1]
Added to NRHP August 3, 1990

Forest Hill is an unincorporated community and neighborhood within the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a pre-World War II neighborhood in the North Ward.[2] It is bounded on the west by Branch Brook Park, on the south by Bloomfield Avenue (some maps place the southern limit at 2nd Avenue), and on the east by both Summer and Mt. Prospect Avenues, the neighborhood of Broadway. The neighborhood's ZIP code is 07104.

Forest Hill is located on a ridge between the Passaic River and the valley of the Branch Brook. It was first developed by Elias Heller, who owned a file factory in North Newark, on the Belleville border. Heller Parkway is named in his honor. From the 1870s to the 1920s, generations of wealthy Newarkers built hundreds of stately homes in the area in various styles, including Beaux-Arts, Victorian, Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival, and Spanish Revival. Along with their mansions, the wealthy of Forest Hill also developed scores of social and literary clubs. Other than the homes, landmarks include the old Tiffany factory. The Branch Brook branch of the Newark Public Library serves the neighborhood.

The neighborhood is well preserved, and few of the historic homes have been torn down, renovated into apartments, or transferred to institutional use. The northern part of the neighborhood is part of an official historic district. During special times throughout the year, there are special tours made possible by the New Jersey Historical Society where homeowners open their homes to visitors.

The Sydenham House located on "The Old Road to Bloomfield" (east of Branch Brook Park) and built in 1712 is the city's oldest private residence. D.J. and Elizabeth Henderson restored it in the 1950s.[3]

Transportation

The Bloomfield Avenue, Davenport Avenue and Branch Brook Park stations of the Newark Light Rail system are all located nearby.

Notable people

Forest Hill Presbyterian Church
The Ballantine gates, on the east side of Branch Brook Park at Lake Street and Ballantine Parkway were given to Branch Brook Park by Peter Ballantine in 1899. They are modeled on gates in Scotland

Notable current and former residents of Forest Hill include:

References

  1. ↑ Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Jackson, Kimberly L. "Expansive Georgian home is pearl of Newark's Historic District's walking tour", The Star-Ledger, October 10, 2013. Accessed October 10, 2013. "Forest Hill also is home to Newark's oldest residence, the 1712 Sydenham House. The district, in Newark's North Ward, developed into one of the city's most exclusive residential areas between 1880 and 1925."
  3. ↑ Martin, Antoinette. "Putting a Value on a 'Priceless' House", The New York Times, October 16, 2005. Accessed May 30, 2013.
  4. ↑ Gross, Max. "The Hill with it; Ed Schoenfeld leaves Brooklyn for Newark digs", New York Post, May 16, 2012. Accessed May 30, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Dewan, Shaila K. "Body Found in Newark, and Police Suspect Botched Surgery", The New York Times, February 19, 2004. Accessed May 30, 2013. "Property records indicate that Mr. Faiello sold the property, at 214 Elwood Avenue, for almost half a million dollars last May.... The house, by far the largest on its block in the Forest Hills section of Newark, is surrounded by a high wall of brick topped with wrought iron."
  6. ↑ Nightmare on Elwood Avenue, Vanity Fair June 2004
  7. ↑ Erminio, Vinessa. "Neighborhood snapshot: Forest Hill", The Star-Ledger, May 16, 2008. Accessed May 30, 2013. "One of the first homes built in the neighborhood was designed for Louis Tiffany of the family that founded Tiffany & Co. in New York. The historical residence is located on Delevan Avenue."

External links

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