Digital Ink'd

Looming over 2.72 acres, adjacent to the bustling Amtrak and New Jersey Transit lines, the desolate skeleton of the United Lacquer Manufacturing Corporation once stood. Now reduced to rubble, the echoes of its past cling stubbornly to the air. This trio of structures, variegated in height from one to three stories, once bustled with the production of lacquers, varnishes, and enamels. For 15 to 20 years, however, they were consigned to silence, abandonment, and ruin. This forsaken property was regularly subjected to a grim cycle of fires and illegal dumping, underscoring its tragic trajectory of decline. The land’s history, as told by the city of Linden, reads like a litany of chemical contamination from multiple manufacturers, and of a previous owner disappearing into the ether, leaving behind a weighty tax burden. Unsurprisingly, the city eventually lost patience with this bleak tableau of human-initiated fires and neglect. As a consequence, the ownership was transferred via condemnat...

  Here we find ourselves, reminiscing about the now abandoned factory walls that once pulsed with vibrant colors. The irony is delightful and surreal. A property that once contributed world-class paints for an array of applications from household to military-grade, now wears a patchwork of graffiti, as aerosol artists exploit its crumbling facade. Today, the site is cordoned off by a formidable galvanized steel gate, its adjacent grounds appropriated for tractor-trailer parking and storage, while the building itself remains in a state of disuse. Over the years, it has served as a temporary shelter for the homeless, a playground for mischievous teenagers, and a backdrop for adventurous photographers and explorers. Access to the property has now been barred, in stark contrast to a time when you could casually tread the train tracks onto the site. Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company's Newark Operations The property in question, situated at 29 Riverside Avenue in Newark, New Jersey, was hom...

In 1666, the foundations of Newark were laid, and by 1830, the city had eclipsed all other communities in New Jersey with its population boom and sprawling industrial growth. The city's flourishing industries, ranging from myriad factories that manufactured an assortment of products, were principally fueled by its strategic location along the Passaic River. The river served dual roles – a transportation route and a power source that fueled Newark's burgeoning riverfront factories. 1831 marked a turning point in Newark's industrial journey, with the inauguration of the Morris Canal, a 98-mile artificial waterway laden with locks and channels, connecting Phillipsburg to Newark. This waterway transported raw materials from New Jersey's heartland and coal from Pennsylvania directly to Newark's factories. The canal's termination at Newark Bay bolstered the city's significance as a port. But, in an irony of progress, the advent of more efficient railway systems re...