• By Mabel Pais

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) made history on September 18, 2024 when breaking ground on the $336 million redevelopment of its 12-acre campus. The Center that has been a catalyst for change in the region and the State of New Jersey will transform downtown Newark bringing hundreds of new residences, shops, restaurants, new outdoor gathering spaces and a unique education and community center with professional rehearsal spaces.

The reimagined campus, scheduled to be completed in Fall 2027, will include ArtSide, a mixed-use, mixed-income residential complex developed by NJPAC, LMXD and MCI Collective, and planned and designed by celebrated architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill. ArtSide will consist of 350 rental units (20% of which will be affordable housing) new retail spaces, an education and community center, professional rehearsal studios — among them a new home for Newark’s beloved jazz public radio station, WBGO — as well as an extension of Mulberry Street, on what is now NJPAC’s Parking Lot A.

The 58,000-square-foot Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center, designed by the renowned architectural firm of Weiss/Manfredi, will be built on Parking Lot C. A dynamic redesign of NJPAC’s front yard,Chambers Plaza, and the addition of a new space, Essex County Green, to the Arts Center’s campus, will create a four-season urban park. Landscape architecture studio Future Green created the design for the new Chambers Plaza.

Newark’s OCA Architects will design renovations of 31 Mulberry Street, an existing building NJPAC recently acquired adjacent to the site of the Cooperman Center. The building will house additional spaces for community gatherings, plus educational and office spaces for the Arts Center. NJPAC’s eastern façade, certain interiors and loading docks will also be redesigned.

“NJPAC’s campus redevelopment is more than a construction project; it’s a powerful investment in Newark’s communities and future,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “This initiative will not only provide more housing and commercial spaces, but also create vibrant cultural and educational opportunities that will enrich the lives of Newark residents for generations to come. I’m proud to support this transformative project that embodies the spirit of creativity and inclusivity that is at the heart of our state.”

“Newark is a city rich in history and possibilities, and NJPAC’s role as an active, engaged and productive anchor cultural institution in its future is an extraordinarily exciting one,” said NJPAC CEO John Schreiber. “We’re grateful beyond measure to the remarkable coalition of partners, both public and private, who have collaborated with us to make this new neighborhood an exciting reality.”

Among the partners who have joined in the planning and development of NJPAC’s campus redevelopment are the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), which granted the project’s $200M tax credits under the Transformative Aspire Program; Prudential Financial, which facilitated the master planning of the campus redesign and financed NJPAC’s pre-development needs; Liberty Mutual, which committed to investing across the capital stack as both an Aspire tax credit investor and a limited partner; Citi Community Capital, which spearheaded construction lending and low-income housing tax credit investing for the project; TD Bank, which provided NJPAC with New Markets Tax Credit allocation for the Cooperman Center construction and a tax-exempt bond for other campus improvements; Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., and the County of Essex, who supported the redesign of campus outdoor spaces; co-development partner Siree Morris, Managing Director of MCI Collective; the New Jersey Housing Mortgage Finance Agency and Freddie Mac, which provided permanent loan commitments; and New Jersey Community Capital which provided support in New Market Tax Credits.

LMXD partnered with NJPAC to manage design, approvals and financing for the project.

“The streets of Newark have always been steeped in the arts. This is a city where jazz and hip hop are in the breeze, and every wall without a mural is just a canvas no one’s yet claimed,” said Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “The new neighborhood around NJPAC will fully embrace that dynamic spirit, bringing more housing, stores and gathering places to our already lively downtown. And one of the highest notes of all will be the new headquarters for our city’s iconic jazz station, WBGO.”

Philanthropic support from major donors who contributed to the Arts Center’s $244 million Capital Campaign, completed in December 2024, also helped finance the project. Notably, Leon and Toby Cooperman and the Cooperman family made a foundational gift to the construction of the Cooperman Center, which will headquarter NJPAC’s Arts Education, Arts & Well-Being and Community Engagement initiatives.

“Ensuring young people have the best chances at their brightest futures is at the heart of our family’s giving,” said Leon Cooperman, a legend in the investment world and Chairman and CEO of Omega Family Office. “The Cooperman Center, a new home for so much of NJPAC’s Arts Education and Community Engagement work, will be in service to everyone, from infants to older adults. Newark is a city of creativity, and I believe the Center has a unique opportunity to contribute to its future.”

The Arts Center celebrated the groundbreaking on the project today with remarks from Governor Murphy; Mayor Baraka; Mr. Cooperman; Mr. Schreiber; state Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz; Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin; Newark Council President and Central Ward Councilwoman LaMonica McIver; Prudential Financial Chairman and CEO Charles Lowrey; NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan; LMXD CEO David Dishy; Siree Morris, Managing Partner, MCI Collective; Ommeed Sathe, Head of Impact and Sustainable Investments at Liberty Mutual Investments; and WBGO President and CEO Steve Williams.

NJPAC donors, supporters, staff and community partners attended the event, which was followed by outdoor performances by marching bands and student jazz ensembles, art activities and a mini food-truck festival on the parking lots that will be transformed by the redevelopment project. 

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

For more information, visit njpac.org.

(Mabel Pais writes on Business, Education, The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Cuisine, and Health & Wellness)