Branch Brook Park Wins Design Award

Branch Brook Park in Newark and Belleville last week was named one of 10 “Great Public Places for 2013” by a national association of planners.

The American Planning Association said the 140-year-old park exemplifies “exceptional character and highlight[s] the role planning and planners play in adding value to communities, including fostering economic growth and jobs,” the group said in a statement.

APA singled out Essex County Branch Brook Park, the nation’s first county park for public use, for its design, which was conceived in 1867 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvin Vaux; planning; community support and use; and $50 million restoration that honors the initial design. Steeped in history and culture, the park has served as a backyard for generations of Essex County residents.

“When I was growing up, Branch Brook Park was where I played sports, had picnics with my family and socialized with friends,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.  

“As an elected leader, I wanted to revitalize the park so children and families today could create their own fond memories of Branch Brook the same way that I did. Our revitalization of Branch Brook was made possible thanks to the partnership we have with the Branch Brook Park Alliance,” he said.

Designed as a respite from the demands of urban life, Branch Brook Park attracts more than a million visitors annually. Four miles long and a quarter-mile wide, the park is separated into four divisions, each with its own distinctive character. The design features woodlands, meadows, waterways, greenswards, active and passive recreational spaces, and 12 miles of pathways. Its assortment of 4,300 flowering Japanese cherry trees, a New Jersey horticultural landmark, surpasses the collection in the nation’s capital.

“Branch Brook Park has been one of the jewels of Newark’s crown for more than 100 years,” said Newark Mayor Cory Booker. “We are proud of how our partners at Essex County have worked tirelessly to maintain and enhance the park’s beauty and facilities. As one of Newark’s great natural preserves and visitor attractions, Branch Brook Park’s designation is well-deserved,” Booker added.

Despite a long history of community support, Branch Brook Park suffered from benign neglect and deferred maintenance in the 1960s and 1970s. The establishment of the nonprofit Friends of Branch Brook Park led to the park’s 1981 listing on the National Register. A successful voter referendum in 1998 established a county-wide open space trust fund that jump-started restoration efforts. A year later, the Branch Brook Park Alliance, a public/private partnership, was organized to raise funds to support the county’s revitalization initiative. Public transit allows easy access in Newark as well as from as far away as Manhattan and Philadelphia.