It is the site of the city's earliest settlement and the heart of Downtown Newark that at one time was considered the busiest intersection in the United States.

Though faded in its former glory, the Four Corners district remains Newark's traditional center for commerce and business and since the late 2000s, the focus of much interest in revitalizing retail, residential, and restaurant activity downtown.

Market Street to the east passes Gateway Center and Newark Penn Station, while to the west are the Essex County Veterans Courthouse and the university campuses located in the city.

[14] The Four Corners Historic District is roughly bounded by Raymond Boulevard, Mulberry, Hill, and Washington streets and University Avenue.

The district established in 1999–2000 encompasses an area of 85 acres (340,000 m2) and includes many buildings which themselves are listed on the national and state registers of historic places.

The city's two tallest buildings, the neoclassical National Newark and Art Deco Eleven 80, are found in the northeast quadrant near the abutting historic district of Military Park.

[28] In December 2012, the city council approved plans for further renovations in the district which would extend the neighborhood to Market Street that would rehabilitate former commercial buildings to residential and retail spaces.