The city of New Brunswick, New Jersey, is only a 36-mile train ride from Penn Station, and no stranger to exciting new development. Now, the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) hopes to utilize the community’s proximity to New York City to build an enormous Performing Arts Center.
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, Courtesy DEVCO
This project aims to be a game-changer for the whole town. $170 million will be invested into the 450,000 square foot structure, bringing two new theaters, three rehearsal theaters, a parking garage with 344 parking spaces, room for academics and offices, as well as 207 residential units in the apartment tower and rooftop recreation space with a swimming pool. Included in the renderings below are advertisements for the musical, West Side Story, which is famously set in New York City. The message isn’t definitive, but it certainly echoes ambition to foster a cultural center rivaling the Big Apple.
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, Courtesy DEVCO
Christopher Paladino, President of Devco, said of the new Performing Arts Center,
The 23-story theater development project will attract more than 100,000 unique visitors to the City of New Brunswick. Further, the residential tower will support both the arts community and the overall financing of the facility, which is critical to its long-term success. This cutting-edge urban initiative leverages past investment, and will serve as a stepping off point for the next generation of real estate in this city.
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center Lyric Theatre, Courtesy DEVCO
Renderings show a metropolitan energy, with the glass lobby inviting passers-by to walk into what hopes to be town’s most significant civic space. The 5,400 square-foot environment hopes to inspire visitors to elevate their vision of the city, including sculptural staircases within the double height lobby and magnificent central bar space to seat over 700 patrons. The two main theater spaces, Playhouse and Lyric Theatre, will seat 250 and 465 patrons per show respectively.
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center Playhouse, Courtesy DEVCO
In 2014, YIMBY reported on a 1.7 million square foot project in downtown New Brunswick, developed by DEVCO and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. That project is also expected to finish in 2019.
As for the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, Elkus Manfredi Architects is responsible for the design, and completion is expected by the end of 2019.
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, Courtesy DEVCO
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Oh!..this is beautiful and that is modern designs.