Prudential Headquarters
Encyclopedia
Prudential Financial
, as it is known today, began as The Widows and Orphans Friendly Society in 1875. For a short was called the Prudential Friendly Society, and for many years after 1877 was the Prudential Insurance Company of America, a name still widely in use. Based in Newark, New Jersey
, the company has constructed a number of buildings to house its headquarters downtown
in the Four Corners district
. In addition to its own offices, the corporation has financed large projects in the city, including Gateway Center
and Prudential Center.
were early examples of steel framing
in Newark, clad in gray Indiana limestone with Romanesque
Gothic styling. The four buildings were known as the Main, the North, the West, and the Northwest and were the tallest in the city at the turn of the century
. They were demolished in 1956 to make way for the current headquarters. The proposed 45 story Prudential Tower would have been one of the tallest in Newark had it been built.
. The Gothic Revival
structure was designed by the architect Cass Gilbert, renowned for many works including the Woolworth Building
and the United States Supreme Court Building
. Gilbert was also architect for the Kinney Building at the southeast corner of Broad and Market Streets. Sold in 1987 and later renovated and restored, it now is home the Superior Court of New Jersey's Essex County
Vicinage Family Court, Chancery, and Tax Court, as well as other government agencies and private enterprises.
. The ODB was responsible for payments to military dependents and their families. Work went on round the clock at 213 Washington Street until it was returned to Prudential in 1946.
building is one the tallest and most prominent on the Newark skyline. The facade of Vermont marble includes 1600 windows set in aluminum frames. On August 1, 2004, the U.S. Office of Homeland Security announced the discovery of terrorist threats against the Plaza prompting large-scale security measures such as concrete barriers and internal security changes such as X-ray
machines.
Prudential Financial
The Prudential Insurance Company of America , also known as Prudential Financial, Inc., is a Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both retail and institutional customers throughout the...
, as it is known today, began as The Widows and Orphans Friendly Society in 1875. For a short was called the Prudential Friendly Society, and for many years after 1877 was the Prudential Insurance Company of America, a name still widely in use. Based in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, the company has constructed a number of buildings to house its headquarters downtown
Downtown Newark
Downtown Newark is Newark, New Jersey's major central business, retail, and cultural district. It is located at a bend in the Passaic River.Downtown is the site of the original Puritan settlement of Newark. The first settlers, led by Robert Treat, landed not far from the present site of the New...
in the Four Corners district
Four Corners (Newark)
Four Corners at the intersection of Broad and Market Streets in Newark, New Jersey is site of the city's earliest settlement and the heart of Downtown that at one time was considered the busiest intersection in the United States...
. In addition to its own offices, the corporation has financed large projects in the city, including Gateway Center
Gateway Center (Newark)
The Gateway Center is a commercial complex in Newark, New Jersey. Located downtown just west of Newark Penn Station between Raymond Boulevard and Market Street, skyways and pedestrian malls interconnect all of the office towers, a Hilton Hotel, the train station, and the Newark Legal Center...
and Prudential Center.
Prudential Company Buildings
The original Prudential buildings from the turn of the centuryTurn of the century
Turn of the century, in its broadest sense, refers to the transition from one century to another. The term is most often used to indicate a non-specific time period either before or after the beginning of a century....
were early examples of steel framing
Steel frame
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...
in Newark, clad in gray Indiana limestone with Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
Gothic styling. The four buildings were known as the Main, the North, the West, and the Northwest and were the tallest in the city at the turn of the century
Turn of the century
Turn of the century, in its broadest sense, refers to the transition from one century to another. The term is most often used to indicate a non-specific time period either before or after the beginning of a century....
. They were demolished in 1956 to make way for the current headquarters. The proposed 45 story Prudential Tower would have been one of the tallest in Newark had it been built.
Gibraltar Building
The Gibraltar Building, headquarters for the financial services company until 1986, is situated between two other office towers later built for the firm, all of which are connected by underground passage The name is inspired by the company's logo, the Rock of GibraltarRock of Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory located in Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is high...
. The Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
structure was designed by the architect Cass Gilbert, renowned for many works including the Woolworth Building
Woolworth Building
The Woolworth Building is one of the oldest skyscrapers in New York City. More than a century after the start of its construction, it remains, at 57 stories, one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City...
and the United States Supreme Court Building
United States Supreme Court building
The Supreme Court Building is the seat of the Supreme Court of the United States. It is situated in Washington, D.C. at 1 First Street, NE, on the block immediately east of the United States Capitol. The building is under the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol. On May 4, 1987, the Supreme...
. Gilbert was also architect for the Kinney Building at the southeast corner of Broad and Market Streets. Sold in 1987 and later renovated and restored, it now is home the Superior Court of New Jersey's Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
Vicinage Family Court, Chancery, and Tax Court, as well as other government agencies and private enterprises.
Prudential Building
Shortly after Prudential Building was completed in 1942, it was taken over by the federal government for use by the Office of Dependency Benefits (ODB), which was moved to Newark from Washington during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The ODB was responsible for payments to military dependents and their families. Work went on round the clock at 213 Washington Street until it was returned to Prudential in 1946.
Prudential Plaza
Prudential's current headquarters, the Prudential Plaza, opened in 1960 during the New Newark era when modernist buildings were built downtown. The International styleInternational style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
building is one the tallest and most prominent on the Newark skyline. The facade of Vermont marble includes 1600 windows set in aluminum frames. On August 1, 2004, the U.S. Office of Homeland Security announced the discovery of terrorist threats against the Plaza prompting large-scale security measures such as concrete barriers and internal security changes such as X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
machines.
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Newark
- Four Corners Historic DistrictFour Corners (Newark)Four Corners at the intersection of Broad and Market Streets in Newark, New Jersey is site of the city's earliest settlement and the heart of Downtown that at one time was considered the busiest intersection in the United States...