Four Corners (Newark)
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Four Corners Historic District
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Looking south at Market and Broad with gold-domed Newark City Hall in distance
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Raymond Boulevard, Mulberry, Hill, and Washington Streets. |
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| Coordinates | 40°44′08″N 74°10′20″W / 40.735560°N 74.172172°WCoordinates: 40°44′08″N 74°10′20″W / 40.735560°N 74.172172°W |
| Area | 85 acres (34 ha) |
| Architectural style | Renaissance, Italianate, 19th and 20th-century eclectic |
| NRHP Reference # | 00001061 |
| NJRHP # | 126 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 8, 2000 |
| Designated NJRHP | November 18, 1999 |
Four Corners at the intersection of Broad and Market Streets in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, is the site of the city's earliest settlement and the heart of Downtown that at one time was considered the busiest intersection in the United States. A twenty-two-square-block area radiating from the crossroads is a state and federal historic district.
The crossing became the center of the town soon after establishment in 1666; the home of founder Robert Treat was located at the southwest corner. During the next centuries it remained the focal point of the city which grew around it. By 1834 the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company had established a terminal to the south and in 1869 the Newark and New York Railroad had one to the north. During the period of massive expansion at the start of the 20th century, the district became the city's modern business district, and site of its first skyscraper built by the Fireman's Insurance Company at the southeast corner in 1910. The Newark Public Service Terminal on Broad Street opened in 1916. Though faded in its former glory, the Four Corners district remains Newark's traditional center for commerce and business and since the late 2000s (decade) the focus of much interest in revitalizing retail, residential, and restaurant activity downtown.
The names and the crossing of streets named Broad and Market is seen in many of the colonial cities in New Jersey, such as Paterson and Trenton and the United States, such as Philadelphia. In Newark, Broad Street, as the name suggests, is a wide avenue which runs north to Military Park and Broad Street Station, while to the south it passes Government Center and Symphony Hall. Market Street to the east passes Gateway Center and Newark Penn Station, while to the west are the Essex County Courthouse and the many university campuses located in the city. It has long been a busy crossroad. In 1915, Public Service counted over 280,000 pedestrian crossings in one thirteen-hour period. Eleven years later, on October 26, 1926, a State Motor Vehicle Department check at the Four Corners counted 2,644 trolleys, 4,098 buses, 2,657 taxis, 3,474 commercial vehicles, and 23,571 automobiles. Between 1925 and 1939 a manned 24-foot-tall (7.3 m) traffic control tower stood at the intersection.
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