Queen of Angels Church (Newark)

Queen of Angels Church (formerly known as St. Peter's Church) was a historic Black Catholic church on Belmont Avenue (now Irvine Turner Blvd) at Morton Street in Newark, New Jersey. It was the first Catholic parish for African Americans in the Archdiocese of Newark.[3]

Queen of Angels Church
Demolished in 2016
Queen of Angels Church (Newark) is located in Essex County, New Jersey
Queen of Angels Church (Newark)
Queen of Angels Church (Newark) is located in New Jersey
Queen of Angels Church (Newark)
Queen of Angels Church (Newark) is located in the United States
Queen of Angels Church (Newark)
LocationBelmont Avenue at Morton Street, Newark, New Jersey
Coordinates40°44′1″N 74°11′21″W / 40.73361°N 74.18917°W / 40.73361; -74.18917
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1854
ArchitectGsantner, Otto
Architectural styleGothic
NRHP reference No.72000783[1]
NJRHP No.[2]
Added to NRHPOctober 26, 1972

History

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Queen of Angels was built between 1854 and 1861[4] and was Newark's first African-American Catholic parish, becoming such in 1926. Its original 1930 building was destroyed in 1958, and the parish relocated, taking over a space at a church once known as St. Peter's.[5]

During the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. held meetings at the church for the Poor People's Campaign and the church also helped organized a march for racial harmony after his assassination.[5]

The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, administered by the Society of African Missions beginning in 1979, and was later closed in 2012.[3]

The church was slated for demolition in 2014 and demolished in 2016.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. April 1, 2010. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Carter, Barry (October 29, 2014). "Queen of Angels: Beloved Catholic church in Newark remains in limbo". nj. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Newark Saint Peter's The New Jersey Churchscape
  5. ^ a b "Historically Black Churches That Closed Their Doors". BET. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  6. ^ "Queen of Angels: Beloved Catholic church in Newark remains in limbo". NJ.com. October 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2017.