Llewellyn Park
Encyclopedia
Llewellyn Park is a 425 acres (1.7 km²) gated residential community of 175 homes within West Orange
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. Llewellyn Park does not have its own municipal government, but operates as part of the Township of West Orange. It is located just 12 miles (19 km) west of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

Residents enjoy the Ramble, a common area of 50 acres (202,343 m²) landscaped with streams and paths. Period gas lamps line the curving streets of the community adding historic charm and a warm glow. There is an active social life organized by the Llewellyn Park Ladies Association. Throughout its history, the Ladies Association has been largely responsible for the beautification of the Park. Its activities include annual plantings; purchasing, and selecting appropriate sites for rustic architecture including gazebos and benches; and directing the Park's maintenance staff to care for the trees, shrubs and flowers.

A major function of the Ladies Association is its commitment to fostering a sense of community among Park residents by planning social activities for adults and children. These activities include a Halloween Party for the children and a Holiday Party for adults. Recently the Ladies Association has also sponsored a barn dance
Barn dance
A barn dance is any kind of dance held in a barn, but usually involves traditional or folk music with traditional dancing. It is a type of dance, originating in America and popular in Britain in the late 19th century and early 20th, derived from Schottische...

, an Easter egg hunt, a Victorian picnic, and a High Tea. Residents' professions and occupations range widely and include business persons, professionals, academics, and artists.

Residents operate a Llewellyn Park Historical Society dedicated to preserving historic artifacts relating to the creation and history of the Park.

The Llewellyn Park Preservation Foundation (an independent 501 c(3) charitable organization) is dedicated to maintaining and restoring the historic character of Llewellyn Park.

Llewellyn Park residents enjoy the combination of close proximity to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 a relaxed semi-rural lifestyle and exceptional privacy.

History

Llewellyn Park was founded in 1853 by Llewellyn Solomon Haskell, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 businessman and was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....

. Haskell discovered the lush, wooded area on the eastern slope on the first range of the Watchung Mountains
Watchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...

 and set out to create a suburban community of country estates. These finely crafted homes would stand amid majestic trees and running streams. The first annual meeting of proprietors was held at the Park's Gatehouse on January 1, 1858 and continues today.

Llewellyn Park was one of the first planned suburbs in the United States, where natural beauty was both carefully cultivated and allowed to remain undisturbed. The landscaping is in the 19th century romantic style of New York's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...

, and includes winding paths, ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers.

The Park became home to many residents of note, especially Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...

, whose home Glenmont is part of the Edison National Historic Site
Edison National Historic Site
Thomas Edison National Historical Park preserves Thomas Edison's laboratory and residence, Glenmont, in Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey. For more than forty years, the laboratory had a major impact on the lives of people worldwide...

. Other residents over the years included abolitionist James Miller McKim
James Miller McKim
James Miller McKim was a Presbyterian minister and abolitionist. He was also the father of the architect Charles Follen McKim....

, whose charming house contained secret chambers to hide escaped slaves traversing the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...

, the Merck family
Merck family
Friedrich Jacob Merck purchased the second town pharmacy in Darmstadt, known as the Engel-Apotheke or Angel Pharmacy. When Friedrich died, the pharmacy was passed on to his nephew and ever since has gone from father to son...

 (George W. Merck
George W. Merck
George Wilhelm Herman Emanuel Merck , was the president of Merck & Co. from 1925 to 1950.-Biography:Born in New York and raised in Llewellyn Park, New Jersey, he attended Harvard College, graduating in 1915. World War I prevented him from pursuing an advanced degree in Germany; instead, he joined...

 was raised there), and the Colgate
William Colgate
William Colgate was an American manufacturer who founded what became the Colgate toothpaste company in 1806.- History :...

 family.

Its annual meeting, going on for 158 years, is the longest continuous string of meetings of any residential association in the United States.

A number of Llewellyn Park's homes were designed by prominent American architects including Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....

, Calvert Vaux
Calvert Vaux
Calvert Vaux , was an architect and landscape designer. He is best remembered as the co-designer , of New York's Central Park....

, Charles McKim
Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim FAIA was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century. Along with Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the partnership McKim, Mead, and White....

, Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...

, and Robert A.M. Stern.
The main entrance to Llewellyn Park is located on Main Street in West Orange, near Thomas Edison's factory complex, which is now a museum. The entrance is within West Orange's historic district, which is entering a phase of major revitalization.

External links

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