Deliverance Evangelical Center at 621-635 Clinton Ave. in Newark — Courtesy: Coldwell Banker Realty
By Joshua Burd
A charter school has purchased a historic church building and two adjoining structures in Newark for $2.5 million, in a deal arranged by Coldwell Banker Realty.
Brokers with the firm represented New Hope Church, doing business as Deliverance Evangelical Center, in its sale of 621-635 Clinton Ave., 826 South 10th St. and 109 Shanley Ave. People’s Preparatory Charter School acquired the 44,676-square-foot property, which includes a circular temple sanctuary with prominent Doric columns than can seat 2,500 parishioners, with stained glass windows, hardwood flooring, original leather seating and cathedral ceilings.
The building also has a 300-seat auditorium, a dining hall, a kitchen, administrative office space, a school and daycare and a one-bedroom living quarters.
“We are so excited to continue serving Newark’s students and families in our future home at 621 Clinton Ave.,” People’s Preparatory Charter School said in a prepared statement. “When complete, the fully restored and updated facility would not only reflect the deep and rich history of the building and the city, but also the importance of our mission, all while providing our students, families, alumni and the broader community with a neighborhood centerpiece that will honor past generations and inspire future ones.”
Coldwell Banker Realty’s Yvonne Taylor and Eulondia Reese-Turner arranged the deal.
“As natives of Newark, Eulondia and I find it refreshing to see the city rebuilding commerce,” Taylor said. “We are elated to be a part of the team that has facilitated the revival of this landmark. People’s Preparatory Charter School will play a huge role in the efforts to restore the beauty of the Clinton-Hill section of Newark while educating its community. I am hopeful for much success for the charter school and the children it will educate.”
In detailing the sale, the brokers noted that Taylor worked as a language arts teacher at Blessed Sacrament School, across the street from Deliverance Evangelistic Center. Reese-Turner, for her part, was a volunteer property manager for more than 15 years at the historic Clinton Avenue Presbyterian Church, located six blocks away.
Originally built in 1924 as Temple B’nai Abraham, the sanctuary became a center for Jewish worshippers in Essex County and was the largest synagogue building in New Jersey, the brokers said, citing Preservation New Jersey. It was designed by architect Nathan Myers, a Newark resident who would also design the historic Art Deco Hersch Tower in Elizabeth.
Its eventual leader, Dr. Joachim Prinz, was a friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a proponent of the U.S. Civil Rights movement, according to a news release. Deliverance Evangelical Ministries acquired the building in 1972, while the temple was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
