National Register of Historic Places

Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company

Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Listed
November 17, 1983
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83004031

About this property

The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company was a life insurance company that was chartered in 1845 and based in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The company was headed by Frederick Frelinghuysen (1848–1924). The company was known as the "Tiffany" of insurance companies, a reference to its reputation as the life insurance company to the upper classes. Mutual Benefit Life was taken into receivership for rehabilitation by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance on July 16, 1991, after losses in an overheated real estate market led to a run by policyholders, who ultimately lost the purported "cash value" that had been said to have accrued in their policies. At the time, the collapse was the largest ever of an American insurer. AMEV acquired the group life, accident and health insurance divisions of Mutual Benefit in 1991. SunAmerica acquired the remaining divisions in 1998. Effective June 14, 2001, Mutual Benefit was liquidated and dissolved.

Location

300 Broadway and 2nd St.
Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
40.76122, -74.16909

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Protestant Foster Home
Industrial
0.1 mi
Clark, William, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
North Broad Street Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Listed
0.4 mi
Ahavas Sholom
Industrial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Short Hills
1777Revolutionary War
5.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company listed on the National Register?

Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 17, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company?

Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company?

The period of significance for Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company?

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