Clem Price's favorite places in Newark (Photo Gallery) Archived article from Oct 19, 2001   By Douglas Frank Photos by Nick Romanenko, Rutgers Photo Services New housing Clem Price stands before new moderate-income housing. He calls it "filler housing -- if you have an empty lot, you put housing on it." When Newark takes down high-rise housing projects, the city is required by court order to replace them with low-density units, he says. "It provides citizens with some of the conceits that the middle class has come to expect -- green space, a place to park your car and an address." Statues at Lincoln and Clinton parks Long free of urban graffiti, two statues grace the small parks just adjacent to Price's Lincoln Park home, where he lives with his wife, Mary Sue, director of the Newark Museum. They are J. Massey Rhinds' replica of Andrea del Verrocchio's 15th-century sculpture of Venetian warrior Bartolomeo Colleoni, (top) and Chauncey B. Ives' depiction of a poignant moment in the French and Indian War, which "humanizes and dignifies Native Americans," Price says. Old synagogue Standing by itself on Prince Street in the center of the old 3rd Ward is one of the oldest houses of worship in New Jersey. First a synagogue and then a Baptist church, the building is situated in what Clem Price calls the spiritual center of old Jewish Newark and old black Newark. The religious edifice is slated to become headquarters of the Newark Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization that promotes improved urban environments, and will be joined by green space, town houses and, Price says without emotion, a nearby Wal-Mart. 18th Avenue School Built in 1923, this building, which still functions as the 18th Avenue School, is an example of Newark's respect for design and architectural aesthetics, according to Price. Sadly militarized by the fences, the school is an example of what time, poverty and change can do to public places. Buildings like these will be razed "only over my dead body," Price asserts. "Whatever clout I have, really or perceptually, I use to remind the city that if you are one of the oldest cities in America, you don't tear down old buildings." The old 4th Precinct This was ground zero for the Newark riots in July 1967. It was here on 17th Avenue that black cab driver John Smith was brought for a traffic violation and subsequently beaten. An angry crowd, convinced he had died, began throwing rocks. The police responded with gunfire. "A series of very bad tactics by the police and very bad behavior by some of the residents made it the beginning of a very bad day for Newark," Price recounts. Weequahic Lake One-third the size of the more well-known Branchbrook Park, Weequahic Park is one of Price's favorite places. He jogs and walks on its new three-mile running path. The park and its lake of the same name were once run-down and littered with garbage. A group of retired black citizens banded together to form a Weequahic Improvement Association, which, with funds from various sources, turned the area into one of the city's most beautiful vistas.

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