Q Petroleum Inc

October 21, 2024

I’ve had a strange fascination with an old petroleum products company along Riverside Avenue in Newark. Over the years, whenever I’m in the area, I make it a point to swing by and see what’s happening with the place. Once, I got curious enough to explore it more thoroughly. I was shocked by what I found—piles of paperwork scattered across the floor of an upstairs room. There were old timecards, business letters, and accounting sheets, all left behind in heaps of yellowing paper. Given the state of decay, I was honestly surprised the building hadn’t gone up in flames by then.

In a smaller office, I found something else—Dexsil Clor-N-Oil-50 PCB testing kits, just lying on the ground. These kits, used to test transformer oils for PCBs, still go for about $123 on the market. Finding them just tossed aside felt strange, almost careless.

On a later visit, after a particularly harsh winter, I noticed water pooling in the basement. A burst pipe, most likely. I had no intention of venturing down there. The risk wasn’t worth it. Over time, it became clear that squatters had moved in. I’d seen signs of life, but during one of my visits, no one was around.

This time, my goal was to retake some photos with my newer camera, a Sony A7R IV, to improve on shots I’d taken years earlier. But things had changed. It was clear the building was being used for more than just squatting. It had fallen into an even darker state, a sad reminder of what happens when places like this are forgotten and left to decay.

Old soda vending machine with $0.50 soda pops.

In my early research, I discovered that the site once operated under the name Q Petroleum Wharf, owned by Q Facility, Inc. Back in the day, barges would bring petroleum products up the Passaic River to the site. From there, 4-inch and 6-inch pipelines ran to eight large steel storage tanks, which had a total capacity of 43,450 barrels of oil. Those very same tanks still sit on the property, rusting away, now covered in layers of graffiti and murals.

On July 1, 2024, the main building caught fire. Firefighters battled the blaze for about half an hour, both by land and by boat. Hopefully, the City of Newark, which now owns the land, will take steps to demolish the site for good after the fire.

While researching, I also came across another name tied to the address: B. & F. Oil Company. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any substantial information about the business. Sanborn maps for the area, which might have held some clues, are incomplete and missing key sections that would provide more insight.

As of October 2024, the building and storage tanks still stand despite the fire and its continued decay. Meanwhile, other abandoned properties up the street have been demolished and repurposed. This site, however, remains a stubborn relic of the past.