Built in 1910, the Firemans Insurance Co. building was New Jersey's first skyscraper and its tallest until 1923, when Bamberger's was built seven feet taller (227'). This 1920 postcard image comes from the NPL's New Jersey Collection.

That sky has an other-worldly cast to it, like something out of Jules Verne. What intersection was this, John?

according to new jersey historical society firemans fund building it just says (four corners ) ??? broad and market i guess corners) ???

according to new jersey historical society firemans fund building it just says (four corners ) ??? broad and market i guess corners) ???

Northeast corner of Broad & Market Streets

My Mom worked at Fireman's Fund for many years and started down in the Newark building. She worked in the building across from Washington Park I believe. It was next door to the Newark museum (or library). I know it was right down the street from the Prudential building.

Later on Fireman's Fund Insurance moved to Route 10 in Parsippany. They offered a van to bring workers from Newark to the new office for a little while. Alot of the people she worked with took the train to Penn Station every day but eventually they either commuted to Parsippany or they found new jobs.

Broad and Market it is. Actually, I went through the postcard collection at the NPL and found an identical postcard to the one above, except that it was a daylight scene. This one probably was doctored up, but it's one of my favorites. In the NJ Collection at the NPL they have a giant reproduction of this postcard hanging on the wall.

PS Sketter, please post with your name here at Bodholt's. We don't use nicknames (lucky thing).

....wonder if his first name is Peter????

i think it might be dan???

"Northeast corner of Broad & Market Streets"
OK, I am confused. Or maybe not. In relation to the F W Woolworth building that was on the corner of Broad & Market - where is the location of the old Fireman's building?
Was it across the street diagonally from there?
Also, what is the church spire like thing in the background; what is that location?
I am assuming (!) that Market St. goes East (Penn Station) and West (toward So.Orange Ave. and Vailsburg) and that Broad St. goes North (toward current City Hall and Elizabeth) and South (toward Washington Park and the Library).
If that is true, that is if my compass points are correct, then I think the Fireman's would be diagonally across from FWW.
And then the "spire" would be that church that is still there about a block or so from Market St. toward the City Hall.
OK, somebody spin me around 3 times and tell me where I am!
-Vailsburg TomK-

Tommy, You are a little off. City Hall and Elizabeth would be SOUTH of Broad & Market. Washington Park would be NORTH. If you are traveling NORTH the (Old) Fireman's Building would be on the Northeast corner, and the F.W. Woolworth Building would be on the Northwest corner, or across Broad Street from each other.Actually there is a small building in front of the 5&10 on the Broad Street side. Woolworth's Store actually faces Market Street. The (New) Fireman's Building is on Washington Street about No.23 or so. It is now owned by Rutgers. It was there Law School, but about 6 years ago they built a new law school building at the corner of New and Washington Street(Northwest corner), or across the street from McGovern's Tavern. The old -new school is to be made into a hotel.

Not to worry Dan -- Tom Kelley has been confusing me since our freshman year at Seton Hall back in 1961. :-)

You guys are just too funny!, northeast this, northwest that. I thought I knew where the building was, when I saw the picture , but now I'm not so sure.I would definitely get lost taking those kind of directions. Women are much simpler. We would say something like "it's across the street, and down a little from Hahne's , or down the block from Bamberger's."

Carol, you are so right and Woolworth's could be entered from both Market and Broad Streets.

OK. I moved away from Jersey nearly 40 years ago, so my memory of the 4 corners SEEMS vivid to me, but it may be entirely screwed up. When I look at the picture there appears to be a church spire on the far left side of the picture, behind the Firemen's building. Would that spire be St. John's on Mulberry St.?

OK Dan, thanks.
Reversing my idea of the direction of Broad St. makes it logical now.
So now if the aspect of the picture is looking sort of EAST toward where Penn Station was later built, and putting that East at the top of a page, then to our left would be North. Placing the building in the North East corner.
That is why I was confused. Using what I thought were the E-W and N-S directions of Market St. and Broad St. and the idea that my North was at the top of the page, caused it to look to me that the North East corner was in the upper LEFT of the page. I figured that meant that one of my direction assumptions were wrong. (You know the comment about "assume"!) In every compass I ever saw N-E was always in the upper RIGHT quadrant! Now I can sleep at night knowing that the old compass points are still where they should be.
All those years living in Newark and working at a couple of places within a block of Broad & Market I never thought about what directions each street went. Hey, y' never said "take Broad St. in a northern direction….". You just said "take Broad St. past Military Park, Hahne's and the Griffith building and you will get to the Little Theater", or whatever!

Oh and ignore that message from that troublemaker Bilby. :-)