Editing Rahway, New Jersey (section)

==Arts and culture==
===Local news media===
[[File:The former Rahway Public Library, now The Gallery Space (art gallery).jpg|thumb|The Gallery Space, an art gallery in Rahway. The building was erected in 1869 as the Rahway library and is the second oldest building in New Jersey specifically built as a library.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rahwayrising.com/arts-guild-finds-new-home-in-burlington/|title=Arts Guild finds new home in Burlington|date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>]]
*''TAPInto Rahway'' is a local news site covering Rahway news exclusively, part of the [[TAPinto]] network of news in Central and Northern New Jersey.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tapinto.net/towns/rahway/articles/tapinto-rahway-relaunches-after-long-hiatus|title=TAPinto Rahway Relaunches after Long Hiatus|website=TAPinto Rahway}}</ref>
*''Rahway Rising'' is a longstanding news site run by the former editor of the now-defunct newspaper ''The Rahway Progress'' and covering city council meetings with a focus on redevelopment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rahwayrising.com/about/|title=About Rahway Rising|date=May 21, 2013 }}</ref>
*''Rahway Is Happening!'' is the [[press release|news release arm]] of the Rahway Special Improvement District, announcing and promoting the arts, festivals, dining, shopping, new and established local businesses, and other downtown culture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/rahwayishappening/|title=Rahway Is Happening!|website=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rahwayishappening.com/|title=Rahway Is Happening|date=November 4, 2021}}</ref>
*''Our Town Rahway'' is a free monthly community newspaper mailed out to residents and published by Renna Media.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rennamedia.com/publications/our-town-rahway/|title=Our Town Rahway &#124; Renna Media|date=July 5, 2013}}</ref>
*''Union News Daily''. A news outlet covering Union County news, it has a dedicated Rahway section.<ref>[https://unionnewsdaily.com/category/news/rahwau Rahway news], ''Union News Daily''.</ref> It is part of LocalSource and published by Worrall Community Newspapers of Union.
*Remaining multi-community newspapers that cover Rahway include the ''[[Courier News]]'', a daily newspaper based in [[Bridgewater Township, New Jersey|Bridgewater Township]], and ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'' and the ''Suburban News'' based in Newark.<ref>[http://www.nj.com/suburbannews/ Home Page], ''Suburban News''. Accessed August 14, 2017.</ref>

===Library and other media===
[[File:Binder20230301 10.jpg|thumb|The [[bookbinding|book bindery]] room at Quinn & Boden Company in Rahway in the early 1920s.]]
In September 1999, remnants of [[Hurricane Floyd]] swept across New Jersey and caused severe damage. The Rahway Public Library was on a flood plain and suffered over US$1 million in flood damage. The building was demolished in October 2001 and a new library was constructed and opened on March 22, 2004, behind the city's municipal building along a less flood-prone area of the Rahway River.<ref>Russell, Suzanne C. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130723201350/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mycentraljersey/access/1851557451.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+14%2C+1999&author=SUZANNE+C+RUSSELL&pub=Home+News+Tribune&desc=RAHWAY+FEMA+action+closes+books+on+Rahway%27s+flood-damaged+library&pqatl=google "Rahway FEMA action closes books on Rahway's flood-damaged library"], ''[[Home News Tribune]]'', November 14, 1999. Accessed May 20, 2012. "The flood-damaged Rahway Public Library will never reopen at the St. Georges Avenue building because Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have deemed the damage too severe. Instead, a new library and technology center are planned by the city for the 40,000-square-foot SDI Technologies building on Main Street, Rahway officials said."</ref> The site of the former Rahway Public Library now contains [[tennis court]]s and a small playground. The new library opened in 2004.<ref>[https://www.rahwaylibrary.org/About.aspx#:~:text=A%20ribbon%20cutting%20was%20held,service%20on%20March%2022%2C%202004.] Accessed September 15, 2023.</ref>

Historian and Rahway native Eva Bridges opened the city's Black-owned bookstore, Bridges Book Center Afro-American Research Library & Museum, located at 1480 Main Street, in 1970.<ref>Ethel M. Washington, Union County Black Americans. Pg 52 (2004)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mycentraljersey/name/eva-bridges-obituary?id=11793570|title=Eva Bridges Obituary (1923 - 2017) - 94, Rahway, NJ - MyCentralJersey|website=Legacy.com}}</ref>

===Performing and visual arts===
[[File:Hamilton Stage for the Performing Arts in Rahway, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|Hamilton Stage for the Performing Arts at UCPAC in Rahway]]
As of the 2020s, downtown Rahway has become a regional hub in the performing and visual arts.<ref>{{Cite web|last=NJ.com|first=Brianna Kudisch {{!}} NJ Advance Media for|date=2020-02-15|title=This small N.J. city has been quietly reinventing itself into an arts hub|url=https://www.nj.com/union/2020/02/this-small-nj-city-has-been-quietly-reinventing-itself-into-an-arts-hub.html|access-date=2021-07-24|website=nj|language=en}}</ref>

The landmarked Rahway Theatre building is home to the [[Union County Performing Arts Center]].<ref>[https://visitnj.org/nj-performing-arts/union-county-performing-arts-center Union County Performing Arts Center], Visit New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2022. "The Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) operates in the historic Rahway Theatre and offers a variety of live music concerts, theater, dance, comedy and more each season."</ref>

===Murals and public art ===
The Rahway cityscape has seen several new murals and public art installations in recent years, created by both local and international artists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rahwayishappening.com/public-art|title=Public Art - Rahway Is Happening|date=April 8, 2024}}</ref>

Muralist Porkchop painted "Mermaid," a green mermaid mural along the Paseo, an outdoor plaza area downtown between buildings, in honor of the [[Rahway River]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tapinto.net/towns/rahway/articles/mermaid-arrives-in-town-anticipating-upcoming-rahway-riverfest|title=Mermaid Arrives in Town, Anticipating Upcoming Rahway RiverFest|website=TAPinto}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Porkchop |title=Mermaid (Mural) |date=2021 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=1495+Main+St%2C+Rahway%2C+NJ+07065&query_place_id=ChIJXWIIAQCzw4kRz7Kw0751NxA |website=Google Maps |access-date=2025-04-22 |location=1495 Main St, Rahway, NJ 07065}}</ref>

Another mural on Cherry Street, "River Goddess," by artist Key Detail, depicts a female character surrounded by aquatic animals seen in the [[Rahway River|Rahway River watershed]], including a [[diamondback terrapin]], [[common snapping turtle|snapping turtle]], [[fiddler crab]] and species of fish.<ref>[https://rahwayishappening.com/public-art Public Art], Rahway Special Improvement District. Accessed April 5, 2025. "The theme of this mural relates to climate change resiliency and coastal flooding awareness. A river goddess is surrounded by native aquatic animals commonly found in the Rahway River Watershed."</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Key Detail |title=River Goddess (Mural) |date=2023 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=69+E+Cherry+St%2C+Rahway%2C+NJ+07065&query_place_id=ChIJD-DJOQCzw4kR8IBON6AaabM |website=Google Maps |access-date=2025-04-22 |location=69 E Cherry St, Rahway, NJ 07065}}</ref>

In 2024, a {{Convert|1500|sqft|adj=on}} work by muralist DISTORT, titled ''Rahway, Home to Innovation,'' was unveiled to honor three scientists with ties to the city: [[Nikola Tesla]], [[Carl Sagan]], and [[Jeannette Brown]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/union-county/2024/10/30/rahway-unveils-mural-paying-homage-to-three-of-citys-great-innovators/75916148007/|title=Rahway unveils mural paying homage to three of city's great innovators|first=Suzanne|last=Russell|website=Courier News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=DISTORT |title=Rahway, Home to Innovation (Mural) |date=2024 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=2255+Elizabeth+Ave%2C+Rahway%2C+NJ+07065&query_place_id=ChIJZ5UDLQCzw4kRmJDD9az-pmM |website=Google Maps |access-date=2025-04-22 |location=2255 Elizabeth Ave, Rahway, NJ 07065}}</ref>

That same year, Peruvian artist Jade Rivera created a mural, ''La Florista,'' outside Peruvian restaurant Quilla by Sabor Peruano on Irving Street. The piece incorporates Andean flora, fauna, and a crescent moon representing [[Mama Killa|Mama Quilla]], the Incan moon goddess. The project was supported in part by the Rahway Special Improvement District and unveiled with city officials and Peruvian Consulate representatives in attendance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/union-county/2024/12/17/new-rahway-restaurant-mural-celebrates-citys-diversity/77020900007/|title=New Rahway restaurant mural celebrates city's diversity|first=Suzanne|last=Russell|website=Courier News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rivera |first=Jade |title=La Florista (Mural) |date=2024 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=1576+Irving+St%2C+Rahway%2C+NJ+07065&query_place_id=ChIJJUXQEwCzw4kRdAOo5Go3gxs |website=Google Maps |access-date=2025-04-22 |location=1576 Irving St, Rahway, NJ 07065}}</ref>

Also located on Irving Street is "Native Botanicals" by local artist Emilio Florentine, a 2023 mural celebrating regional plant life.<ref>{{cite web |last=Florentine |first=E. |title=Native Botanicals (Mural) |date=2023 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=1590+Irving+St%2C+Rahway%2C+NJ+07065&query_place_id=ChIJ1WTdQwCzw4kR-WOl7Elh-8M |website=Google Maps |access-date=2025-04-22 |location=1590 Irving St, Rahway, NJ 07065}}</ref>

On the corner of Main Street and the Paseo, Lawrence Ciarallo’s "The Wings," painted in 2018, remains one of Rahway’s most photographed murals, with large, colorful wings inviting visitors to pose between them.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ciarallo |first=L. |title=The Wings (Mural) |date=2018 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=1501+Main+St%2C+Rahway%2C+NJ+07065&query_place_id=ChIJwcv4dACzw4kRliH4vwAFxcM |website=Google Maps |access-date=2025-04-22 |location=1501 Main St, Rahway, NJ 07065}}</ref>

===Houses of worship===
[[File:Main - Copy.jfif 03.jpg|thumb|The First Presbyterian Church of Rahway in an [[engraving]] from 1857, looking much the same as it does today.]]
[[File:Main - Copy.jfif 02.jpg|thumb|An [[engraving]] from 1857 of St. Paul's Church at 80 Elm Street, erected in 1842. The church is the present-day home to the Word of Life congregation.]]
* The First Presbyterian Church of Rahway was established in 1741 and its current church on Grand and Church Street was built in 1832. It was extensively remodeled in 1876.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.1stpresrahway.org/|title=First Presbyterian Church, Rahway NJ – Rev. Edmund L. Hoener, Interim Pastor}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/news/local/2011/03/glimpse_of_history_a_house_of.html|title=Glimpse of History: A House of Worship for the 19th Century in Rahway|first=Adrienne|last=Mokarry|date=March 20, 2011|website=nj}}</ref><ref>[http://www.njchurchscape.com/Rahway%20First%20Presbyterian.html Rahway First Presbyterian], NJChurchscape.com. Accessed October 19, 2022.</ref>
* Divine Mercy Parish is a [[Roman Catholic]] community of faith in Rahway. Its church on Central Avenue was built in 1888 by Irish architect [[Jeremiah O'Rourke]]. It was formerly known as St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, which was merged by the Archdiocese with the former St. Mark's German Catholic Church around 2010 to form Divine Mercy Parish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://divinemercyrahway.church/|title=Divine Mercy Parish|website=Divine Mercy Parish}}</ref><ref>[http://www.njchurchscape.com/Rahway-StMarysRC.html St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Rahway], NJChurchscape.com. Accessed October 19, 2022.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rahwayrising.com/st-marks-church-demolished/|title=Demolition begins on St. Mark's Church|date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>[http://www.njchurchscape.com/Rahway-StMarks%20RC.html St. Mark's German Catholic Church], NJChurchscape.com. Accessed October 19, 2022.</ref>
* Built in 1865, the [[Seventh-day Adventist]] Church stands at the intersection of Main Street and West Emerson (1221 New Brunswick Avenue).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rahwayspanishnj.adventistchurch.org/|title=Home: Pagina principal|website=rahwayspanishnj.adventistchurch.org}}</ref> It was formerly the Second Presbyterian, but that congregation merged with the First Presbyterian in 2012.<ref>[http://www.njchurchscape.com/Rahway-SecondPres.html Second Presbyterian Church Rahway], NJChurchscape.com. Accessed October 19, 2022.</ref>
* Established in 1826, the Ebenezer [[African Methodist Episcopal Church|AME]] Church in Rahway is one of the oldest [[African Methodist Episcopal]] church in the country<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ebenezeramechurch.com/our-history.html|title=Our History|website=Ebenezer AME Church}}</ref>
* Trinity Methodist. Founded in 1849, this Methodist group was called Second Methodist. In 1893, the group changed its name to Trinity United Methodist and built the large brick, Romanesque-styled church on the corner of E. Milton Avenue and Main Street.