Weequahic, Newark

Weequahic (pronounced wee-KWAY-ik or, "when spoken rapidly", wee-KWAYK[1]) is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Part of the South Ward, it is separated from Clinton Hill by Hawthorne Avenue on the north, and bordered by the township of Irvington on the west, Newark Liberty International Airport and Dayton on the east, and Hillside Township and the city of Elizabeth on the south.

[2][3] Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is a major long-time institution in the neighborhood.

[4] The area was farmland until the late nineteenth century when it was developed into a middle-class, non-industrial neighborhood of detached single-family homes oriented around Weequahic Park.

Author Philip Roth grew up on Summit Avenue, graduated from Weequahic High School in 1950, and many of his novels (such as American Pastoral and Nemesis) are set there.

[5] The post-World War II growth of suburbs and Second Great Migration of African Americans altered the demographic make-up of Newark in general and the Weequahic section in particular.

Real estate blockbusting, white flight, and the construction of Interstate 78 were negative factors.

[20][21] Zion Towers, at 515 Elizabeth Avenue, opened in 1972 and is one of the tallest buildings in Newark.

In 1992 the library system renovated the branch for $1 million; the renovation added air conditioning, online public access computers, an elevator, new lighting, off-street parking, and a children's storytelling pit.