Downtown – Newark, Delaware

Isaac Kremer/ December 26, 2018/ downtown, preservation, storefront/ 0 comments

Newark Academy traces its roots to a school founded by Rev. Dr. Francis Alison at New London, Pennsylvania in 1741. The school moved in 1652 to Cecil County, Maryland, and finally in 1767 to Newark, Delaware. Chartered by Thomas and Richard Penn in 1769, the school was closed from 1777 to 1780 due to the Revolutionary War. Later the academy merged with Newark College (now the University of Delaware) in 1834. The academy later separated from the college in 1879 and continued as an independent academy until 1898. Today the site where the historic marker stands is a sizable open space in the heart of downtown, though the programming of this space is fairly limited – few places to sit, few activities, and little to no public art.

The Wall

“The Wall” is an assemblage of different bricks, brick bonds, brick patterns, and colors arranged along a blank wall surface. The wall was laid by Diamond State Masonry in 2011. This is an interesting, if a bit idiosyncratic way to create visual interest. From top to bottom, left to right, the following brick patterns and bonds are observable.

This handsome sidewalk clock is not far from the The Wall.

This Community Bulletin Board creatively and artistically provides an opportunity to share upcoming events. In some ways the categorization helps to order and find specific items. In other ways it limits the space for different activities and becomes less functional as people post to it.

On one of the murals is a fairly detailed map with parking locations, annual events, and a link to the downtown web page. This was a clever way to achieve wayfinding at low cost.