Mulberry Street in Newark

Mulberry St. corner with Green St. that leads to Broad St. past the Federal Building on the left in 1967. 

Mulberry St. & Green St. in 1915.

 

Mulberry Street with the Singer Sewing Machine Co. building in 1967. 

Mulberry St. in 1961. 

Mulberry St. in 1961. 

Mulberry Street & Green Street in the 1930s. 

Mulberry Street in the 1930s was heavily Chinese with Shanghai Restaurant on the left, Sai Wyu Restaurant on the right... 

a very busy Mulberry Street in 1922. 

Mulberry Street in 1961. 

Raymond Boulevard with Mulberry Street in the 1950. 

Mulberry St. and Raymond Boulevard in 1930. 

Centre Market scene. 

Mulberry St. with Market St. in the early 1960s.

Thomas Banker wrote: The cars suggest late 60s-early 70s, about when I was going to NCE. The area from Mulberry down to the railroad was going through a huge transformation with the Housing Authority buying (or condemning) virtually everything to make way for the Gateway project. 

While I rarely went into the area, its reputation was that it was essentially a red-light district, with drugs, prostitution and dive bars all around the area before the Gateway plan was implemented. With the riots fresh in everyone's mind, the plans for new buildings in downtown were shifted towards creating "defensible space", which is why the Gateway has a completely enclosed walkway from Mulberry to Penn Station, so the law firms and insurance company employees could go to work and back home without ever setting foot outside. 

The Essex County College "Megastructure" was similarly influenced, with its windows (still there today) designed as narrow slits so the building could be used as a fortress. As to the bar someone mentioned, there were a large number of bars in the neighborhood, including one on one of the Mulberry corners that had a reputation of being a "bucket of blood" for all the problems that happened there. For the better class, Commerce Street had a number of fine dining establishments that were patronized by the businessmen working in 744, 1180, the banks and the insurance companies.

Mulberry St. with Market St. in 2025.

a stretch of Mulberry Street from Franklin St. up to Market St.; see Columbia St. and McCarter Highway on the right... 

A larger map: Mulberry Street circled in red-ink from Franklin St. to Raymond Boulevard.

28 February 1932: America's Chinese man of mystery, the almost legendary Mock Duck, national president of the Hip Sing Tong and reputedly the wealthiest of his race in this country, was the target of an assassin in Newark. The Dr. Fu Manchu of real life was shot down as he stepped from his eastern headquarters at 64 Mulberry St., Newark. shortly after 7:30 p.m. The bullet, fired almost pointblank, entered his neck and emerged through his right cheek. Treated at Newark City Hospital, the man whose slightest word was law in the gambling dens of Chinatowns from the Atlantic to the Pacific deserted his habitual Oriental calm and named his assailant as a young hatchet man known as Eng Pong Quong.

Chad Wong wrote in Facebook: It was a gambling house inside the store. those people outside wanted to get in.

Denise Nubia Taylor answered: Chad Wong, 64 Mulberry St. was on the block between Raymond Boulevard and E Park Street.

Taylor Yu wrote: You heard about the Chinese Godfather, he made you an offer you couldn't understand?

Wilson Lew worte: As a kid growing up on Springfield Ave, Central Ward, I remember the sparse disappearing Chinatown of the 50s-60s. Now far away in wine country Napa Valley. Ding Ho restaurant .

Jerry Weinberger wrote: I heard he was in cahoots with Impossible Berger.

Ernest Leong wrote: As I recall, Mock Duck was the one who'd walk down the street with two shoulder holsters on, like someone straight out of a Wild West movie. Was that him?

Newark Sunday Call, 10 May 1903.  Chinese man Charley Tang who keeps a laundry and a small tea-store on Bloomfield Avenue, near Webster St., marries German national Dora Wenholz, until recently employed as a domestic in a Brooklyn hospital.  

Priscilla Eng Wong, left, sister Patricia, daughters of Norma Eng Wong and ... Gat Eng Wong owners of the Shanghai Restaurant, pose at the doorway of Sun Wo Yu ... Co., grocery / herbal suppliers, and basement level Canton Restaurant, on Mulberry Street near Green St., 30 August 1964, courtesy Newark Public Library.

'When Newark had a Chinatown - My personal journey' written by Yoland Skeet-Laessig.

Jule Spohn added photos to the album 'Newark's Chinatown' and wrote in Facebook: I grew up here in Newark, NJ in the 1940's and 50's (and still live here) and would often go with my parents to some of the Chinese restaurants in Newark's Chinatown which was on Mulberry Street at that time. There is nothing left of that area except a few memories today. There is a great little book entitled "When Newark had a Chinatown" by Yoland Skeete-Laessig which came out a few years ago. Still might be available on Amazon. Mulberry Street was also the location of Engine One, Rescue One fire house which was torn down years ago when they built the new Prudential Arena.