The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark is marking the start of construction for its redesign of Chambers Plaza along Center Street and a new space known as Essex County Green, the first piece of a $336 million redevelopment for the 12-acre campus. — Renderings by Future Green/Courtesy: NJPAC
By Joshua Burd
Construction is underway for a project that will revamp the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s outdoor space, in the first piece of a major redevelopment for the Newark theater complex.
According to the venue, the work will continue through the end of 2024 and include the redesign of Chambers Plaza along Center Street. It will also involve the addition of a new space known as Essex County Green, named in recognition of a $5 million grant from the county, establishing a new four-season urban park in Newark’s downtown.
NJPAC said the reimagined space will have facilities — from a new rain garden to new lighting and seating — that will enable programs such as performances, markets and classes to be held year-round. Brooklyn-based landscape architecture studio Future Green designed the new Chambers Plaza.
“This reimagining of our ‘front yard’ will make it possible for NJPAC to host even more community events and outdoor gatherings,” said John Schreiber, NJPAC’s CEO and president. “We’re endlessly grateful to Ray Chambers and the Chambers family, and to Essex County, especially County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, for their support of this project.”
SLIDESHOW: Reimagining NJPAC
Renovations on the outdoor space began April 17, NPAC said, coming two months after the state Economic Development Authority approved a 10-year, $200 million tax credit award for the overall plan to transform the center’s 12-acre campus. The three-year, $336 million redevelopment will also include the construction of The Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center, designed by the renowned architectural firm of Weiss/Manfredi, on what is now the center’s Parking Lot C, as well as the construction of a new pedestrian-friendly extension of Mulberry Street across the campus to Rector Street.
A separate ground-up phase known as ArtSide calls for 350 apartments and retail and cultural spaces along the extension of Mulberry Street, according to a news release. The project will include high-rise and low-rise buildings, including a 20 percent set-aside for affordable housing, as well as a new headquarters for the Newark-based jazz public radio station WBGO.
ArtSide is a joint effort between NJPAC and developers Center Street Owners (CSO), a group that includes LMXD and Prudential Impact & Responsible Investments, the news release said Skidmore Owings & Merrill is designing the new neighborhood, which will be built on what is now the arts center’s Parking Lot A.
With the outdoor renovation now underway, NJPAC will remain open and accessible throughout construction, although visitors will notice that portions of the campus will be surrounded with fencing to facilitate the work. The center’s box office, Parking Lot A and Nico Kitchen + Bar will all remain open.
“When Governor Tom Kean and Ray Chambers first imagined NJPAC in the late 1980s, they hoped the arts center would be the center of a beautiful new Newark neighborhood,” Schreiber said. “We are delighted to be making their expansive vision a reality. When the work is completed in 2027, all the new amenities on our campus will contribute enormously to the ongoing revitalization of Newark’s downtown.”
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