Essex County

US States / N / New Jersey / Essex County
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Essex County is named for Essex County in England.

 

Surrounding County Courthouses: 

N – Morris County and Passaic County

E – Bergen County and Hudson County

S – Union County

W – Morris County

 

Created:  March 1, 1683                                                             Map of New Jersey highlighting Essex County

County Seat:

Newark  1683 – present

 

Old County Courthouse – Newark

 

Location:  470 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard / Market Street

Built:  1904 – 1906

Style:  American Renaissance

Architect:  Gilbert Cass

Contractor:  V J Hedden & Sons

 

Description:  The building faces east and is a five story marble clad structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on elevated landscaped grounds. The building has a granite base. The east front has a large portico with four double Corinthian columns rising to a wide header. The three entrance on the first story are recessed. At the apex of the front is a marble pediment with the enthroned robed figure of Justice by Andrew O’Conner. The sculptures were completed by Piccirilli Brothers. The interior has a rotunda decorated with allegorical murals and paintings depicting law and justice. Supported on massive stone piers and ringed by staircases and open corridors, the rotunda is crowned by a central Tiffany stained-glass skylight, flanked by two smaller side domes. In 1929, the building was renovated by local architects Guilbert and Betelle. The building houses the County Superior Court.

 

See:  National Register of Historic Places – Essex County Courthouse

 

County Courthouse – Newark

 

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Location:  50 West Market Street / Howard Street

Built:  1967 – 1970

Style:  Modern

Architect:  Robert H Fava, Richard O Becker, John B Murray and Warren E Bendixen

Contractor:  S S Silberblatt, Inc.

 

Description:  The building faces east and is a thirteen story concrete and glass structure. The rectangular building is located on landscaped grounds, west of the old courthouse. The lower three stories form the extended base on the east and west sides and have vertical concrete pillars with recessed glass walls. The central entrance is recessed. The third story has columns supporting the top nine stories which have narrow vertical windows. The roof line is flat.  The building is named as the Essex County Veterans Courthouse and houses the County Superior Court..

 

County Hall of Records – Newark

 

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Location:  465 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard / Market St.

Built:  1925 – 1927

Style:  Neo-Classical

Architect:  Guibert & Betelle

Contractor:  Unknown

 

Description:  The building faces east and is a four story stone structure. The building is located on the west side of the old courthouse. The first story is of rusticated and bush hammered limestone and above, the walls are of plain limestone. The entrance portico has an Ionic order of eight free standing columns with a pediment above carrying a carved group. The first story has three central entrances. Above the first story is a projecting cornice with iron railing. Above the third story ia projecting cornice. The roof line is flat. 

 

County Courts Building – Newark

 

Location:  490 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard / Sringfield Avenue

Built:  2018 – 2021

Style:  Modern

Architect:  Comito and Associates of Newark

Contractor:  Joseph Jingoli & Son Inc. of Lawrenceville.

 

Description:  The building faces east and is a four story glass, steel and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Newark on the east side of the courthouse and on the south side of the Hall of Records. The building has a recessed first story and horizontal windows along the second to forth stories. On the south side, the building curves. The roof line is flat. The building has 11 courtrooms and is named the Essex County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Building. 

 

History:  The county was created in 1683 and Newark was selected as the county seat. The county was part of East Jersey with provincial seat at Perth Amoy in Middlesex County. The first courthouse was a three story structure designed by John Haviland and built in Newark in 1838. The county jail was built in 1837. The second courthouse was constructed in 1904 to 1906 at a cost of $1,750,000. The Hall of Records was constructed in 1925 to 1927. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1967 to 1970. The County Courts Building was constructed in 2018 to 2021 at a cost of $75,000,000.

 

 

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Old County Courthouse – Newark

 

 

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Couny Courthouse ( Veterans Courthouse ) – Newark

 

 

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County Hall of Records – Newark

 

 

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Photos taken 2017