Forest Hill, Newark, New Jersey

Forest Hill is an affluent pre-World War II neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey's North Ward. It is bounded on the west by Branch Brook Park, on the south by Bloomfield Ave. (some maps place the southern limit at 2nd Ave.), and on the east by Summer Avenue and Mt. Prospect Avenue, the neighborhood of Broadway.

Forest Hill is located on a ridge between the Passaic River and the valley of the Branch Brook. It was first developed by Elias Heller, who owned a file factory in North Newark, on the Belleville border. From the 1870s to the 1920s generations of wealthy Newarkers built hundreds of stately homes in the area in various styles, including Beaux-Arts, Victorian, Colonial, Gothic, and Spanish Revival. Along with their mansions, the wealthy of Forest Hill also developed scores of social and literary clubs. Other than the homes, landmarks include the old Tiffany factory. Both the Branch Brook branch and the North End branch of the Newark Public Library serve the Forest Hill neighborhood.

The neighborhood is very well-preserved. Almost none of the historic houses have been torn down, converted to apartments, or converted to institutional use. The northern part of the neighborhood is part of an official historic district.

From time to time there are special tours through the New Jersey Historical Society where homeowners open their doors to visitors. Aside from those nights, the homes of Forest Hill are private property.

The Park Ave, Bloomfield Ave, Davenport Ave and Branch Brook Park stations on the Newark City Subway are all across the park from the Forest Hill neighborhood.

External links

* [http://www.fhcanewark.org/ Forest Hill Community Association]
* [http://www.newarkhistory.com/mtprospectave.html A Tour of Mt. Prospect Avenue]