A Walk Through Brick City

Jamie: 15th Apr 2005 - 15:59 GMT

i'm enjoying the purple hue of these photos peter. i found your article really interesting to read through, and i particularly like the way your linked in some other relevant newark posts. best of.

Peter: 15th Apr 2005 - 16:03 GMT

kelsey, heh!

yeah, the strange reddish and purplish hues come from the cameraphone... i installed a hack to get better saturation (think: lomo-like cameraphone!) which, though drastically improving the resolution/saturation of the photos, causes those hues. but you know? i actually like em. i think it makes the photos look like oldskool polaroids or something... like, particularly the one of the empty field.

Jamie: 15th Apr 2005 - 16:06 GMT

Yeh, it was really interesting to hear about the vacant lots. Made me think of the people that must once have lived there. Whole communities sweeped under the carpet. Post apocalyptic imagery

Jamie: 15th Apr 2005 - 16:08 GMT

Kelsey! Swept goddamit. Swept! Man, my eloquence has taken a kick in the balls. I say down to write last night. I sat there with my laptop in my lap for a whole hour, finally i wrote one word on my screen. Cohesion.

Peter: 15th Apr 2005 - 16:18 GMT

your recent writing seems good to me!

elaine: 15th Apr 2005 - 17:41 GMT

like a digital version of a pinhole camera, maybe?

Peter: 15th Apr 2005 - 17:57 GMT

sort of! though i was going more for "lomo-esque", hehehhee.

elaine: 15th Apr 2005 - 18:04 GMT

well I'm liking the lomo reference, and saving yourself the trouble joining the lomo set (and the money) but then I also like the idea of lo tec hi tec, which cameraphones kind of are by default. I do of course like having a zoom on my 'real' camera, but when I had an SLR I was almost bloody minded about using the 'real' lens, and i love scanners as cameras

Jamie: 15th Apr 2005 - 20:21 GMT

Peter has (had) a lomo lca. They rule but are expensive. I could never afford one and made do with a lowly smena 35 which was still pretty cool though. Peter, glad you like my recent writing. It has once again been buried under the mountain of other good stuff posted today. Have a few things in progress but have hit somewhat of a mental brick wall. Will read a good book to get the creative juices flowing.

Peter: 15th Apr 2005 - 21:58 GMT

yeah i got a lca years ago from a russian woman i used to work with for like $35... dont use it alot anymore as i do mostly digi now, but its fun at times... i think the cmeha35's are absolutely rad, too... and zorkis. i love those old weird cameras, for sure.

but the lo-tech-hi-tech is fun too, totally. ive held scanners up before to get images of a room, heh...

elaine: 16th Apr 2005 - 08:56 GMT

and now you've made this...out of an old sqeezy bottle and some sticky backed plastic - as they would make everything out of in 'blue peter' the UK kids programme, how did you do it? this installing of the hacking? It enhances what is nice about the slight fisheye. When I was in brighton I bought an old camera for nostalgia's sake, which had one person two people three people or the mountains because I remember liking that wideangle thing, which the cameraphones have, and your colouration exaggerates

Boricua BEast: 24th May 2005 - 13:33 GMT

that metal shipping container News Stand isnt on 12th Ave. It's on the Corner of Springfield AVe. and MLK blvd.

junkie: 26th May 2005 - 01:12 GMT

"It is the function of the artist to evoke the experience of surprised recognition: to show the viewer what he knows but does not know he knows. Helnwien is a master of surprised recognition." William S. Burroughs

Peter: 21st Jun 2005 - 13:43 GMT

theyve painted the little magazine stop housed in teh shipping container:

Nerida: 2nd Nov 2005 - 20:55 GMT

Peter i just stumbled across this site and have been looking at your photos...i really like your style, you capture what you see so well, there is so much distilled in every image. i feel like i just spent the night in a gallery!

Peter: 2nd Nov 2005 - 21:23 GMT

awesome! thanks. you can post some stuff of your own, you know, if you like ;)

keith: 9th Jan 2006 - 01:47 GMT

A lot of the photos you've posted are rich in history, not just the city's history but black history, American history. Those vacant lots in central ward used to be home to high-rise housing projects such as Stella Wright and Hayes Homes. The UMDNJ hospital that looks like a government building also has history tied to the housing crisis and 1967 race riots in central ward.

David aka D-trigga: 16th Jan 2006 - 22:27 GMT

Yeeah i love Brick city pics. look out for ya boy Albom droppin out in o6 BLLLLLLLLLAt!!!!!!!!

Brittany -bst: 16th Jan 2006 - 22:35 GMT

The first photo at the top of the page is a girl name candace. These phots are history and probally will be posted alot of other place but im sure in the feauture things are gonna get alot better in brick city. all of these pictures are all the pictures i saw.

BRiCK CiTY LUVR: 15th Apr 2006 - 13:43 GMT

BRiCK CiTY TiLL THE END!!

NEWARK iS THE BEST!! HELLZ YEA!

L0VE THE PiCS....REMiND ME OF WHAT I SEE EVERY MORNING!

Gee-Nice, a Tru-Jerseyian...: 20th Apr 2006 - 16:16 GMT

you were'nt walking uptown on Raymond Ave., you're on Raymond Boulevard, are you even from Jersey? Gotta get it right, if you're representin' !!!!

Peter: 20th Apr 2006 - 16:42 GMT

nope, im not from new jersey. im from brooklyn, thankfully.

Whipslinger: 15th Jul 2006 - 09:27 GMT

Peter, to cure your curiousity about all those vast vacant lots, they used to house 12 story clusters of housing projects with names like Prince St. and Hayes Homes and Scudder Homes etc. They were not the greatest of living conditions by far and have been razed to make way for all the new community building that has been taking place over the last few years. Some of those vacancies are also by products of the depression Newark sank into after the devastation of the Central Ward due to the 1967 riots. Finally Newark is bouncing back but just to inform you, Newark got the nickname "Brick City" because there were so many housing projects there.

D Hakim Newkirk: 24th Aug 2006 - 06:17 GMT

Been gone form the Brick 28yrs ... now Im missing it.

juanetta: 19th Sep 2006 - 15:44 GMT

i think its alright but not better than my hometown brooklyn

YOUNG JAE.N.NEWARK: 30th Sep 2006 - 21:00 GMT

I MISS MA HOOD...MAN THOSE PICS BROUGHT BACK GOOD MEMORIES REGARDLESS IF DUDE WROTE WHICH WAY HE WAS GOIN WAS WROND AND IF HE AINT NOW WHERE DA NEWS STAND WAS POSTED I JUST REALLY ENJOYED SEEIN BRICK CITY.....

crazy eddie: 23rd Nov 2006 - 20:43 GMT

yo i really apreciate you showing everyone our city and what its become...the projects in the vacant lot pics were far to your left not rite there but good work....YOU CAN LEARN ALOT FROM A DUMMY !

Tammy: 5th Dec 2006 - 12:31 GMT

Love the photo documentary. I work, go to school, and worship in Newark. It is a great city that has endured many injustices which gives new meaning to its nickname “Brick City"- its toughness and spirit of determination is fortifying. The city of Newark is a cultural Mecca and place of scholarly interest.

noside: 28th Dec 2006 - 01:13 GMT

brick city come's from hawthorne ave the roots rap and the game ...leave it alone

Jazmin: 25th Jan 2007 - 01:03 GMT

I miss my bricks, man i had to move to da south.don worry imma come back.

Jazmin: 25th Jan 2007 - 01:07 GMT

anotha thing, aint no wher betta then Brick City. i hold alot of memories an no one can take my city down!

upfromflames: 5th Apr 2007 - 05:28 GMT

I was a little disappointed at your original presumption that the mysterious empty spaces in Newark once held decayed housing full of junkies. Actually, some of them used to contain thriving neighborhoods, some Italian white, some black. Many of those neighborhoods were torn down in a fit of urban renewal "slum" clearances that stretched on for almost two decades its unfortunate fits and starts that displaced more and more, leading to riots that further led the community on a downward spiral...

still pretty bad, I hear.

Now, I am not form Newark so I don't know like a local. But I did see this film that told the story...
www.imdb.com/title/tt0475421/
"Urban Renewal is People Removal".

angela 6/12/07: 12th Jun 2007 - 17:19 GMT

I have a friend from brick city and find the pictures sum up his stories of where he grew up.

I have always been very curious of what Newark looked like, now I know.

Thanks for taking your time to share with us.

take care

gunz: 12th Jul 2007 - 01:21 GMT

i'm originally from newark why no pics of peshine ave jersey chicken berg clinton ave 16th street?

Gata: 19th Jul 2007 - 15:51 GMT

the term "Brick City" originated in the Central Ward (most notably, Prince Street; a friend of mine coined the term) in the 70s-80s. It took a minute, but the term started to spread like crazy, and now it's a common nick for here. Believe me; I did my research on this.

G-Rock: 18th Jan 2008 - 16:41 GMT

Interesting. I always thought the name originated from the streets being paved with bricks. I love these pictures. There's a certain electricity in the air I feel the moment I get off the train in Newark. I'm so proud of where I'm from!! There's a certain level of respect for people from Brick City. To outsiders, it's a tough place; but for us it's home and it's come a long way baby.

Mr. Jones: 27th Mar 2008 - 01:31 GMT

Yeah, The Bricks was bad, but in many ways it was surreal. Go back and read it's real history.Before the great migration and the riots.Even after that, boring could never be said about the city of my birth. I remember the national guard and the tanks of 67', the flavor of the streets still remained. If you didn't know the place your ass could be grass alright, but to all the fellas and ladies (even the night runners), it was the shit!!!, still is, we carry the pride, guts and determination not found in the average person. And before I go I will say this:Everywhere I have been and lived(Europe, 25 yrs. and the West coast, 2 yrs. ) the one thing that got me through everything was the thought of Newark, the people and the resiliency. Nobody believes me when I talk about The Bricks, but I do know this, seeing is believing. I wish I never left. P.S Newark will always separate the men from the boys.

Mo: 19th May 2008 - 00:35 GMT

Newark was my home..1958-1970. Grew up at 63 Mercer Street, Scudder Homes Projects - and a project it was, but it was home. Schools attended: Quitman, Robert Treat. If it wasn't for having close family ties..don't know if my life would be the same. Blessings to Newark.

Chanzizr / Rapper From The Brick: 6th Oct 2008 - 03:38 GMT

My Name is Chanzizr, I grew up in Newark.....South Ward...Hey I can remember my Mom
taking me Down Town, to Mc cory's to get pizza and Stride Rite for my Shoes and Boots,all
grown up now live out of State, when I go home...I take rides down memory lane...Big up
to BRICK CITY.....

Carnel H.: 9th Mar 2009 - 01:02 GMT

I grew up living in Stella Wrightr Homes, 234 Prine St. on the corner of 18th ave. and Prince st. I remember the night of the riots and how afraid I was to look out of the window. I lived on the 7th floor apt 7F we had windows in the front of the building and my room had the back window facing the Boys club and playground. It was a nice to live there till that time, I saw nationalguardsmen with rifles, tanks on the street. The stores where I used to buy shoes and the meat market that was there was gone and the Dupont paint store on the corner of 18th ave. and Belmount ave.(Irving Turner) burned to the ground, it took 3 days for the fire to go out. I could see all this from the windows of our apt. We moved to Irvington shortly afterward and I then moved from NJ because everything I grew up loving is gone...I can never go home because its just not there anymore. Stella Wright had good memories for me but I had bad ones also, hauling my bike up 7 flights of stairs because the elevators didnt work,having to wet myself because the elevator took so long to reach my floor. Having to push water away from the door to our apt. because someone thought it would be funny to open the fire dept. water valve causing the lower floors to flood.cleaning up trash by the incenrator because someone was too lazy to open the door and put the trash in.That part of living there I dont miss but I did have some good friends and I hope that their lives turned out well,and all of the people from my church Queen of Angels that helped us with the rent strike,along with Mr. Strafford and Father Comerford.

Carnel H.: 9th Mar 2009 - 01:05 GMT

I would like to see more pic's of Stella Wright Homes before the area went down.

Lady T: 11th Mar 2009 - 19:43 GMT

nice pictures but was disappointed there were no pictures of any of the projects you can't talk about newark unless you know about the projects now i know that you think that it was a bad place- although i didn't grow up there but i had fanily and friends who lived there and despited of all tbe other negativity- you had just ordinary people who looked out for each other and got along well. come on i know somebody know about Broome, Mercer, Howard,Lincoln, and Prince Street.

Peter: 11th Mar 2009 - 19:56 GMT

yes, please forgive me for not taking a photo of each and every building in newark for you, random visitor :P

you can look here, though, if you really want to see the projects... which are technically located in east orange.

SLY : 3rd Jun 2009 - 21:52 GMT

I like the pics you put up,I have pics of what them empty lots used to look like on my myspace page.
Brick City forever.

Hannibal: 7th Aug 2009 - 15:41 GMT

Nice to see some old photos of newark, I grew up in Newark in the 60's and I remember living in the projects (64 Broome St) during the riots, It was pretty scary having the national guards outside of the buildings firing shots off into our apartments. So it's good to see how Newark is rebuilding it's self up. I really miss seeing and hearing from people at Broome St.

Peter: 7th Aug 2009 - 15:46 GMT

you know, your comment reminded me that i shot a TON of much higher-wuality photos of downtown newark a couple of months ago and never got around to posting them... ill try to get them posted here soon- there are some really interesting/modern underrated aspects of downtown newark that people might enjoy seeing...

as for the riots, id love to hear more about what it was like in newark in those days, if you have any stories to tell...

CHRIS: 8th Oct 2009 - 02:00 GMT

I MISS PRINCE STREET PROJECTS! My building was 77 montgomery street! But I hung out around 158 and 160 spruce street! But I gotta luv 198-178 im out this bitch! Brick city still strong..

GODDMAN: 18th Nov 2009 - 03:59 GMT

The city of Newark has a lot of history both good and bad the people in charge of this city today accomplished more in a shot space of time than any other group however what this city needs is more buildings that host employment for people that have a lot of idle time on hand I agree people need a place for shelter but they also need a place for employment please fill these empty lots with work envioroment