The James M. Baxter Terrace was a

public housing Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

complex in Newark,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Named after James M. Baxter, it was opened in 1941. It was closed and demolished in 2009 due to social and financial neglect. The housing was partially replaced in 2012 by 90 apartments known by the name of Baxter Park.

Origins

Under the Federal Housing Act, the Newark Housing Authority was created in 1937. The Housing Authority was tasked with creating affordable housing for low income residents. When the first contracts were signed between the Federal Housing Authority and the city of Newark, Baxter Terrace was among the first projects to be built. The complex was named after James M. Baxter, the principal of the first

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

for Black students in Newark.

Years in operation

One of the first public housing facilities in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Baxter Terrace was open for 68 years. Through the 1950s, Baxter Terrace remained the only majority Black housing project in Newark. The 14 acres of housing was informally segregated, with Black people living on one end, and whites on the other. Many early residents took pride in the community, with one father being cited as writing a theme song for it. A group of teenagers who sang in the Baxter Terrace recreation hall went on to become the Monotones, a

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

group.

Closure and legacy

Baxter Terrace was closed and demolished in 2009 and replaced by Baxter Park in 2012. Baxter Park became more focused on having mixed incomes rather than focusing specifically on housing low income people. Former residents of Baxter Terrace have held reunions. The

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

of Baxter Terrace was preserved in demolition, with parts being brought to and displayed at the Smithsonian

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), colloquially known as the Blacksonian, is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in 2003 an ...

References

{{Reflist Apartment buildings in Newark, New Jersey 1941 establishments in New Jersey Residential buildings completed in 1941 Demolished buildings and structures in New Jersey Buildings and structures demolished in 2009