Essex County Jail | Newark, New Jersey
The Old Essex County Jail Complex, also known as the Newark Street Jail, is the county's oldest public building. Located at Newark and New Streets, it was built 1837 along the banks of the newly constructed Morris Canal to house both county and city lawbreakers. The old jail continued to serve Essex County as its main detention center (augmented by the Essex County Jail Annex in North Caldwell) until 1970 when the current jail was completed. For a short time after it served as the home of the Essex County Narcotics Bureau, but when they relocated it stood empty.
Today the Essex County Jail remains abandoned and derelict, home to only the occasional drug dealer or vagrant. Although it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, no efforts have been made to preserve it. Essex County seems to be practicing "demolition by neglect," or in other words, waiting for the remaining structures to burn or collapse so they can redevelop the site.
Today the Essex County Jail remains abandoned and derelict, home to only the occasional drug dealer or vagrant. Although it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, no efforts have been made to preserve it. Essex County seems to be practicing "demolition by neglect," or in other words, waiting for the remaining structures to burn or collapse so they can redevelop the site.
