Branch Brook Renovations Completed

Work on the lakefront area in the southern half of Branch Brook Park was officially completed last week, $4 million in improvements that included the refurbishment of a cherry tree grove, the restoration of century-old statuary and extensive landscaping work at “Music Court,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and the Branch Brook Park Alliance announced in a statement.

Two historic Prudential Lions statues were dedicated to retired Prudential Insurance Chairman and CEO Arthur Ryan and his wife Pat, co-chair of the Branch Brook Park Alliance, for their dedication to restoring the park, while the music court overlooking the lake was dedicated as the “Prudential Concert Grove” to recognize the corporation’s ongoing support.

Also honored was another executive of the Newark-based insurance company, its former CEO of International Insurance, the late Kiyofumi Sakaguchi. A memorial cherry tree grove was renamed in his honor last week. 
 
“The Southern Division of Branch Brook Park has been reborn with the expansive improvements that have been completed here. This much-needed facelift revitalizes the Southern Division – which is the original section of the Park, returns the focus onto the concert grove, and creates beautiful vistas and scenic walkways for the public to enjoy,” DiVincenzo said. “This was an extraordinary project that was completed through a unique public-private-non-profit partnership. The Branch Brook Park Alliance and Prudential Financial have been dedicated partners in our ongoing initiative to restore Branch Brook Park. Without their assistance, none of this would have been possible.”
 
“Art and Pat Ryan, Prudential and Kiyofumi Sakaguchi each believed Essex County Branch Brook Park was a special place. They dedicated themselves to helping us achieve our goal, engaged others to assist us and raised awareness to the world of the natural treasures found right here in Essex County,” he added. “There is no higher honor that the county can give to thank them than naming these elements in the park for them.”
 
“Although many, many people have been involved in what has truly been a labor of love, Prudential has played a special role from the beginning, and today we salute them on behalf of the one million people who use the park every year,” said Barbara Bell Coleman, Co-Chair of the Branch Brook Park Alliance.
 
The improvements were completed in four phases. First was the restoration of the two Prudential Lions statues, which were created in 1904 and stood at the entrance to the Prudential Building in downtown Newark until they were donated to the county in 1959. The statues were restored by a Philadelphia-based preservationist. 
 
The second phase involved the rehabilitation of two historic buildings – the Music Court Pavilions – located near the lakefront, and the third involved replacing the asphalt-covered Music Court with ornamental brick, stone and flagstone pavers, historic lighting, drainage and enhanced landscaping based on historic planting plans.

The final phase involved the rehabilitation of the Kiyofumi Sakaguchi Memorial Grove, a grove of Cherry Blossom trees named in 2002 in honor of Prudential’s late chairman in Japan. The grove is located in Branch Brook Park’s Southern Division along the lake. Prudential donated $1 million for this phase of the project.