Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Ceremonial Street Designation
Honoree: Mario Garcia
Date(s): May 9, 2025
Official Street Name(s): McWhorter Street and Green Street
Ceremonial Intersection Name: Mario Garcia Way
Sponsor: Council Member Luis A. Quintana
Additional Information:
Ceremony will be held Friday, May 9, 2025, at 3:00 p.m.
body
WHEREAS, Ordinance 6PSF-f, adopted on May 20, 2015, authorizes the designation of an intersection, etc., for honorary and ceremonial purposes; and
WHEREAS, Mario Garcia was born in Ourense, Spain before immigrating to the City of Newark in 1973, and moving into the Ironbound section; and
WHEREAS, ambitious and enterprising, Mario founded the Spanish Tavern Restaurant at the intersection of McWhorter and Green Streets, at the time, one of the first Iberian Peninsula food establishment that catered to the growing Spanish and Portuguese population in the metro area, but quickly became an iconic Newark restaurant, noted for its affordability, generous portions and delectable Iberian cuisine. It became a meeting place for politicians, business people, locals and tourists, seeking a great meal and authentic Spanish cuisine; and
WHEREAS, The Spanish Tavern Restaurant not only spurred the explosion of Spanish and Portuguese restaurants in the Ironbound and surrounding areas, it helped spearhead Newark’s economic, social and cultural growth, which continues to this day; and
WHEREAS, Mario Garcia’s enormous contribution to the City of Newark is immeasurable and his legacy worthy of notable recognition.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Municipal Council does hereby authorize the honorary and ceremonial renaming of the intersection of intersection of McWhorter Street and Green Street as “Mario Garcia Way”.
2. The official name of said streets shall remain as McWhorter Street and Green Street in its entirety.
STATEMENT
This Resolution authorizes the naming of the intersection of McWhorter Street and Green Street “Mario Garcia Way”, for honorary and ceremonial purposes.