Page 30 - RE-NJ

Courtesy: MPAC
28 WINTER 2025
MORRISTOWN’S MAYO PAC PLANS
$65 MILLION EXPANSION, UPDATE
By Joshua Burd
The acclaimed Mayo Performing
Arts Center in Morristown is set
to begin a major expansion and
renovation after securing a $65
million tax credit award under a new
state program.
According to the Economic
Development Authority, which
approved the subsidy in mid-
November, plans by the nonprofit
South Street Theater Co. Inc. will
include more than 31,000 square feet
of new construction for an arts and
education center and other spaces.
That’s slated to break ground in April
alongside updates to the existing
facility and 1,300-seat theater at
South and Pine streets — including a
new parking garage — all of it aimed
at enhancing learning opportunities,
boosting production capabilities and
increasing attendance to support
growing demand.
Murphy Schiller & Wilkes LLP’s
Chris Murphy, chair of the firm’s
tax credits and incentives group,
and Brendan Pytka, director of tax
credits and incentives, represented
MPAC in its application to the EDA.
An Otteau Group Inc. team led by
Christopher J. Otteau provided real
estate valuation services for the
project.
“We are thrilled to see the Mayo
Performing Arts Center receive one
of the first awards under the New
Jersey Economic Development
Authority’s Cultural Arts Facilities
Expansion Program,” Pytka
said. “This $65 million award
will allow MPAC to embark on
a comprehensive expansion and
renovation,
transforming
an already
renowned arts
venue into a
dynamic home
for students of
all backgrounds,
a welcoming
Brendan Pytka
community hub
and a destination for world-class
performers.
“This achievement is a testament
to the hard work and dedication
of the entire MPAC team, and our
Tax Credits and Incentives group at
Murphy Schiller & Wilkes is proud to
have played a role.”
The EDA noted that the venue,
which began as the South Street
Theater, has served as a cultural
institution in Morristown since its
founding in 1994. It contributes
more than $18 million annually
to the local economy, according
to estimates provided by the
operator, drawing over 240,000
patrons annually with some 300
The Mayo Performing Arts Center at 100 South St. in Morristown
performances and 150 educational
programs.
MPAC is also a provider of arts
education, serving around 35,000
students each year, and recently
expanded its Performing Arts School
with South Street Studios to meet
growing demand, the EDA said. Its
next expansion is poised to further
those efforts with components
including:
• Roughly 31,185 gross square feet
of new construction, including a
new arts and education center,
lobby and gallery spaces, artist
spaces, patron spaces, studios,
support spaces and vertical
circulation
• Some 16,970 gross square feet of
interior renovation to the existing
MPAC production, education and
office spaces
• Restoration of the 46,000-square-
foot historic theater auditorium
• Construction of a two-level,
40,130-square-foot parking garage
providing 84 parking spaces
exclusively for MPAC artists, staff,
patrons, students’ caregivers/
drivers and other visitors
• Utility and infrastructure
upgrades including water, electric,
sewer, storm sewer, stormwater
and transportation systems,
installation of renewable energy
systems including solar panels
and energy storage components,
and landscaping
Provident Bank is providing a $55
million construction loan for the $65
million project, which is slated to
take around 26 months and include
$9.5 million in fundraising.
“Since it began as a single-screen
movie theatre in 1937, to its current
standing as one of the top 50
performing arts centers worldwide,
MPAC has been
at the heart
of arts and
entertainment
in the North
Jersey region,”
said Allison
Larena, CEO
and president
Allison Larena
of the Mayo
Performing
Arts Center. “The awarding of $65
million in CAFE tax credits is a
transformational opportunity for
MPAC’s next phase in our evolution
and further elevates Morristown as
a premier arts destination in our
state. We are deeply grateful to the
New Jersey Economic Development
Authority for this extraordinary
award.”
Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty
added: “Morristown’s arts
community has always been a
source of pride for our town. The
expansion of the Mayo Performing
Arts Center will build on that
legacy, bringing more opportunities
for creativity, education and
community. This investment will
help keep Morristown a destination
where the arts continue to thrive
and strengthen our local economy.”
Highlights of the project will
include six new studio spaces for
the Performing Arts School, two of
which can convert into a 150-seat
auditorium-style theater, plus a new
passenger elevator, stair towers
and performer’s entrance, the EDA
said. Plans also call for enhanced
backstage areas for performers and
artists and upgraded production
facilities such as a larger freight
elevator, an expanded loading bay,
additional storage and new dressing
rooms to allow MPAC to host larger
and more complex productions.
Additionally, the venue plans to
build a new Starlight Veranda
overlooking Pine Street, offering
an additional space for community
gatherings, patron receptions and
cabaret-style performances, the
authority said, while upgrading to
the entrance plaza and walk to the
Starlight Lounge with an updated
marquee and new pavers, walkway,
steps and planters.