(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has announced that construction on the redesign of Chambers Plaza — the outdoor space in front of the downtown Newark theater complex — began on April 17, 2024.
The work, which will continue through the end of the calendar year, constitutes the first phase of a three-year, $336M redevelopment project that will transform the Arts Center’s 12-acre campus.
The redesign of Chambers Plaza and the addition of a new space, Essex County Green, named in recognition of a $5M grant from the County for this work, will establish a new four-season urban park in Newark’s downtown. The reimagined space will have facilities — from a new rain garden to new lighting and seating — that will enable programs including performances, markets and classes to be held there 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,” says John Schreiber, NJPAC’s President and CEO. “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.”
Visitors to the Arts Center will notice that portions of the campus will be surrounded with fencing to facilitate the work, beginning on or around April 1. NJPAC will remain open and accessible throughout construction.
The Arts Center’s box office, Parking Lot A, and Nico Kitchen + Bar will all remain open. Signage along Center Street will direct pedestrians and vehicular traffic to the most easily accessible entry points during the construction work. However, the Arrival Court parking area adjacent to Center Street will be closed.
NJPAC’s long-running and popular Horizon Sounds of the City free summer concert series will continue this summer, thanks to a phased construction schedule. The series will have a slightly modified schedule of six performances (instead of the typical eight). Horizon Sounds of the City will begin with an opening night appearance by Felix Hernandez and his Rhythm Revue Dance Party on June 27, as a part of the North to Shore Festival.
The refresh of Chambers Plaza is the first piece of a campus-wide redevelopment project for NJPAC. The full renovation, expected to conclude by 2027, will 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 NJPAC’s Parking Lot C, as well as the construction of a new pedestrian-friendly extension of Mulberry Street across the Arts Center’s campus to Rector Street.
The project also includes the establishment of ArtSide, a new mixed-use development that will include 350 residential rental units and retail and cultural spaces along the extension of Mulberry Street. Twenty percent of the residential units in the development will consist of affordable housing.
The ArtSide project, which will include high-rise and low-rise buildings as well as a new headquarters for WBGO, the nation's premier jazz public radio station, is a joint effort between the NJPAC and developers Center Street Owners (CSO), a group that includes LMXD and Prudential Impact & Responsible Investments. Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), the celebrated architecture firm, is designing the new neighborhood, which will be built on what is now the Arts Center’s Parking Lot A.
“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. We are delighted to be making their expansive vision a reality,” says Schreiber. “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.”
A formal groundbreaking ceremony for the NJPAC redevelopment project is planned for this fall.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States. It is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. As New Jersey’s Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted 11 million visitors (including almost two million children) since opening its doors in 1997 and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.
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