A GREAT PARK

Parks are the chief adornment of our great cities. We often think of cities in terms of parks. It has been truly said that only by means of parks can we view the city.

For that reason we instinctively first turn to parks bordered by high buildings, certainly one of the more dramatic spectacles of urban America. We think of Chicago's Grant and Lincoln Parks, both bordered on two sides by skyscrapers, and, of course, New York's Central Park, which owes so much to its surrounding wall of masonry. In those instances, the frame has become, over the years, almost as important as the design.

When the skyscrapers and the massive masonry walls are absent, however, we focus solely on the parks; there is no striking drama of contrast. Such a condition imposes itself on the city-county park systems everywhere. For today's observer, it is the location of those parks and their design, without drama, which make them stand out. They remain the bright ornaments, at times unnoticed, in the urban fabric. Such is the example of the Essex County Park System, with one park that commands admiration and delight above all, Branch Brook Park in Newark. Here is the city's great oasis, which quietly takes its place among the country's best.

Publication of this map
was made possible
by generous gifts from

BROAD NATIONAL BANK

DORA A. DENNIS FUND

FORBES FOUNDATION

ELIAS LIEBERMAN MEMORIAL FUND

THE NEWARK PRESERVATION & LANDMARKS COMMITTEE

THE PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY
OF AMERICA

MEMBERS OF THE FRIENDS
OF BRANCH BROOK PARK

and in memory of

THEODORE CONRAD

THE JOSEPH DEALESSANDRO FAMILY