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Early days
“I was convinced that Newark was where it ought to be located. And that the Arts Center could be a tremendous force for good in Newark.”
—The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, NJ Governor (1982 – 1990)
“We felt this building had to be of the city, not a separate part of the city. The idea was to make a room where you could bring almost 3,000 people together and make a strong connection to the arts and the artists in a setting that feels intimate. That’s what it’s all about”
—Barton Myers, NJPAC Architect
Long before the first brick was laid at NJPAC, we made a commitment to the economic development of Newark. NJPAC was not meant to be a one-time construction project, or a shiny new building isolated in the middle of downtown. Opening our performing arts center in October 1997 was only the first step in an ongoing process of joyful community revitalization. We continue to invest in Newark’s growth, and we’re making big moves to bring that vision to life:
The future of NJPAC
“Downtown Newark isn’t just a business district anymore. It’s a business, residential, arts, entertainment and education community that’s rising up.”
—Tim Lizura, NJPAC Executive Vice President, Real Estate & Capital Projects
“When Governor Tom Kean and Ray Chambers first imagined NJPAC in the 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.”
—John Schreiber, NJPAC President & CEO
NJPAC is actively redeveloping the land surrounding its theaters. We opened One Theater Square in 2018, and broke ground on the next major phase of our campus masterplan in September 2024 (you can read about it in The New York Times and on NJ.com). In May 2025, we unveiled a redesigned Chambers Plaza and Essex County Green, NJPAC’s “front yard,” where performances, markets and more will be held year-round. Ultimately, by 2027, the Arts Center’s campus will become an arts-infused neighborhood filled with 350 residential units, restaurants, stores and cultural venues including the new Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center.
WELCOMING RESIDENTS TO ONE THEATER SQUARE
In 2018, we threw open the doors of One Theater Square, the first new construction market-rate high-rise residential tower to be built in Newark in 60 years. A symbol of our downtown revival, it sits right across from NJPAC on Center Street. The apartments have sweeping city views and luxury amenities, with 24 units reserved for low-income residents, prioritizing those currently living in Newark.
a new front yard for njpac
Chambers Plaza, NJPAC’s front lawn, has been redesigned as a new, four-season urban park space. The rearchitected Plaza includes the new Essex County Green, a rain garden, upgraded lighting and flexible seating. All of this enables programs including performances, markets and classes to be held here year-round. Brooklyn-based landscape architecture studio Future Green designed the new Chambers Plaza.
Construction on the Plaza began in April 2024 and finished in May 2025.
TRANSFORMING A PARKING LOT INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD
You might remember Joni Mitchell’s famous lyric: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” Well, we’re doing the opposite, by transforming NJPAC’s current Parking Lot A into the centerpiece of a vibrant new neighborhood, ArtSide. This open, welcoming public realm will be for both Newark residents and visitors to enjoy. Mayor Ras Baraka calls this project “a game-changing step forward for the evolution of Newark’s downtown, creating an ideal live-work-play environment in the city’s heart—and making more affordable housing available for families of all kinds.”
The development includes a midrise residential building (seven stories) and a high-rise residential building (approximately 25 stories) on Center Street, totaling 350 residential rental units with 70 affordable housing units and 15 townhome-style units.
There will be a focus on pedestrian-friendly public spaces, arts and food-related businesses and street-level retail.
THE COOPERMAN FAMILY ARTS EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY CENTER
Slated to open in 2027, The Cooperman Center will serve as a neighborhood hub for performing arts classes, the creation of new performance work, arts and well-being programs, free community activities, academic research, and professional development for educators.
Designed by architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi, the 58,000 square foot building will sit in NJPAC’s front yard, at the corner of Center and Mulberry Streets. This new facility will allow us to expand our already extensive array of performing arts education programs for Newark and New Jersey youth as well as free arts programming for our entire community, from babies to seniors.
BRINGING NEW LIFE TO THE SOUTH WARD WITH LIONSGATE NEWARK
Continuing to position Newark as a center for creativity, arts, entertainment and industry, NJPAC will collaborate with Lionsgate entertainment company, The Studio Group and the city of Newark in opening a new 270,000 square foot TV and film production studio. Lionsgate Newark will feature five soundstages, a set construction facility, postproduction editing, crew trucks and catering services.
The studio will be built on the former site of Seth Boyden Court, the long-abandoned public housing complex. The 15-acre compound will also include housing, led by Newark Housing Authority.
An economic impact study estimates Lionsgate Newark will create 500–600 permanent on-site jobs and generate up to $800 million in economic activity. We are grateful to Governor Phil Murphy and the legislature for championing New Jersey’s new tax credit program for Film, Television and Digital Media.