Photo of the Day 9/30/17

This signs greets visitors and residents to Newark's Ironbound.

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Photos of the Day 9/29/17

It is currently a small lot with a damaged Millburn Police car on the premises, but a new 20-unit development called 'Mulberry Commons' is planned for the corner of East Kinney and Mulberry Streets in Newark.

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Photo of the Day 9/28/17

This photo shows houses in Newark's East Ward.

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Photos of the Day 9/27/17

These photos show the Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, one of the few remaining active synagogues in Newark.

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Photo of the Day 9/26/17

Newark's historic Kreuger-Scott Mansion has been vacant for decades, but it is set to be converted into a center for makers as part of the new 'Makerhood' mixed-use community that will be constructed on an adjacent lot.

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'The Honeymooners' Comes to Millburn's Paper Mill Playhouse

MILLBURN, N.J.: An Essex County performing arts venue is about to host the world premiere of a new comedy musical.

The Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn will be hosting performances of The Honeymooners from this Thursday, September 28th, until Sunday, October 29th at its theater at 22 Brookside Drive.  According to Paper Mill, the musicial, which is based on the show that aired on CBS beginning in the 1950s, will feature Michael McGrath, Michael Mastro, Leslie Kritzer, Laura Bell Bundy, Lewis Cleale, Lewis J. Stadlen, and David Wowl. It is being directed and choreographed by John Rando and Joshua Bergasse, respectively. In addition to the three dozen public performances, there will be a question and answer session with the cast members on Saturday, October 28th, a pre-show discussion with the director on Wednesday, October 4th, and 'conversation clubs' before the Thursday night shows.

Click here to learn more.

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Photo of the Day 9/25/17

The Second Reformed Dutch Church is situated at the gateway to Newark's Ironbound.

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Photo of the Day 9/24/17

This photo shows South Jefferson Street in Orange's Valley Arts District.

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Photo of the Day 9/23/17

Orange's historic Seven Oaks Park neighborhood is filled with stately houses.

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Photo of the Day 9/22/17

This photo shows the gates to Newark's historic Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

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Photo of the Day 9/21/17

This photo shows the historic Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center.

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Photo of the Day 9/20/17

The former F. Berg & Co. hat factory in Orange has been converted into the Hat City Lofts.

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'Under the Bun' Restaurant Opening in South Orange

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J.: A corner storefront near a local university will soon be home to another restaurant.

Under the Bun Burgers & BBQ is coming to the space at 325 Irvington Avenue, at the corner of Ward Place. Located just a few blocks away from Seton Hall University, this corridor has been branded as 'Seton Village' in recent years in an effort to attract more businesses, shoppers, and diners.

This business will be owned by Maplewood resident Trevon Woolford, who told Essex County Place that he is planning to open the restaurant in November. According to Woolford, in addition to hamburgers, menu items will include chicken, brisket, and pulled pork, with a focus on clean and natural meat without hormones and antibiotics.

"I noticed that not many places served natural meat and I wanted to fill that void and show people that you can eat natural and not have to pay these outrageous prices," said Woolford, explaining that he "just can't wait to open."

The space has had a variety of uses over the years. Most recently, it was briefly occupied by the University Sub Shop's second space and the High CheeZe. Previously, the Blue Plate Special, DinnerSmith, and the Corner Shop Deli operated inside. 

The opening of Under the Bun comes as other burger joints enter or expand in the Essex County market, including BGR in Downtown South Orange and Bloomfield, Burg in Newark's Military Park, Smashburger in West Caldwell, and Elevation Burger on Newark's Halsey Street.

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Photo of the Day 9/19/17

This sign is one of several greeting visitors to Downtown Newark.

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Photo of the Day 9/18/17

This photo shows Ferry Street in Newark's Ironbound.

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Photo of the Day 9/17/17

This photo shows a view of Downtown Newark from the North Ward.

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Photo of the Day 9/16/17

This State-owned property on Ogden Street in Newark's North Ward continues to await development.

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Photo of the Day 9/15/17

This photo shows Brookside Park along the Third River in Bloomfield.

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Photo of the Day 9/14/17

This photo shows the Jersey Explorer Children's Museum and the Franklin Branch Library in East Orange.

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Photo of the Day 9/13/17

This photo shows Orange's Valley Arts District, where new developments like this 128-unit project at the old Harvard Printing site are rising next to artwork and graffiti.

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Photo of the Day 9/12/17

This photo shows the Newark Broad Street Train Station at night.

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Photo of the Day 9/11/17

This photo shows the September 11th Memorial at Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange with One World Trade Center in the distance.

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Photo of the Day 9/10/17

This clock is located in the heart of Orange.

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Photo of the Day 9/9/17

Renovations are coming to this historic building on East Orange's Central Avenue.

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Photo of the Day 9/8/17

Construction is underway on the new residential development at the Harvard Printing site in Orange's Valley Arts District, which will include a 'riverwalk' along the East Branch of the Rahway River.

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Photo of the Day 9/7/17

This photo shows a mallard at Monte Irvin Orange Park in Orange.

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New STEP Youth Center Coming to Newark's West Ward

NEWARK, N.J.: There will soon be a new place for children to go after school hours in Newark.

According to City records, "a mentoring program focused on the well-being of Newark's male youth" is coming to the building at 605 Orange Street, at the corner of Hedden Place, in Newark's West Ward near the East Orange city limits. The structure, known for the bible verse and murals painted on the exterior, was previously occupied by the Freedom in Christ Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ America, Inc., but it is now set to be rehabilitated by Striving Together Equals Progress, Inc., or STEP. The organization regularly hosts educational programming and events for young Newarkers, including financial literacy seminars, an orators club, a lecture series, open mic nights, vegetarian barbecues, and community skate nights.

The building has most recently been owned by the City of Newark, but the Newark Municipal Council voted during its meeting on August 22nd to sell it for $5,000 to STEP since it "is no longer needed for public use."

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Photo of the Day 9/6/17

This photo was taken along Central Avenue in East Orange.

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What is Coming to the Site of Newark's RKO Proctor's Theater?

NEWARK, N.J.: A new development appears to be planned for a part of the site of a historic Newark theater, but over a year after it was first proposed, very few details have been made public.

The RKO Proctor’s Palace Theater building was built in 1915 at 114-116 Market Street, in the heart of Downtown Newark. Records from the National Park Service (NPS) show that in its heyday, the historic structure, which was designed by prominent theater architect William E. Lehman, was a massive ‘piggyback theater’ complex with two auditoriums. The upper rooftop theater included 1,400 seats, while the lower auditorium featured 2,000 seats, according to the NPS documents, which add that movie screenings and Essex County College programming were later held inside.

Today, the eight-story theater building is divided into two properties. The front property, which faces Market Street and is owned by Manhattan-based 114 Market, LLC, appears largely vacant with the exception of the Top 2000 clothing store. The rear property, which had been owned by the City of Newark, has been not been utilized in recent years. Photos posted by Cinema Treasures, After the Final Curtain, and The Forgotten Past of New Jersey show that the interior of the building has not been maintained.

Last July, Essex County Place broke that news that the Newark Municipal Council voted to sell the City-owned rear portion of the tract for the negotiated price of just $5,000 to a company called Davidson, Abraham and Associates, LLC to “develop a mixed-use residential/commercial building.” This was despite the fact that the centrally located property had an appraised value of $1.5863 million. Remediation and demolition at the property would be required for the new project, and City records show that the costs of both were expected to exceed $2 million.

Following a tip from a reader, we have once again been investigating what will be coming to the property. Davidson, Abraham and Associates was incorporated in October 2015, according to the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, but the exact address of the property in Englewood, Bergen County that is listed in the resolution, 295 Hudson Avenue, does not exist. Attempts to contact the homeowner of a very similar address, 295 West Hudson Avenue, by phone, were unsuccessful, and City officials have revealed very little about the proposed development. 

Newark Municipal Council President Mildred Crump stated last month that she did not know what would be constructed at the property and neither did Newark Community Economic Development Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Aisha Glover. 

When asked about the low sale price of the property, Newark’s Deputy Mayor for Economic and Housing Development, Baye Adofo-Wilson, told us that “there’s a substantial amount of demolition that needs to be done on that project and oftentimes, the City gives developers credits if the demolition and/or the environmental issue is more than the project.” Regarding the number of units and the size of the proposed project, Adofo-Wilson stated that the goal of the development is for it to be mixed-use, but said that “I think there’s some additional thinking they had for the site.” 

Since the property is located within the Four Corners Historic District, in order for the structure to be demolished, the Newark Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission must grant approval following a public hearing. The proposal also requires several other clearances, including approval from the Newark Central Planning Board. Once an application is filed, we will likely know more about what could potentially replace this Newark landmark.

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-This article originally appeared on Jersey Digs-

Photo of the Day 9/5/17

These signs greet residents and visitors to Orange's historic Seven Oaks neighborhood.

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Photo of the Day 9/4/17

Two of Newark's major economic development projects in one photo: One Theater Square and the Hahne's building.

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Photo of the Day 9/3/17

The Rutgers-Newark Honors Living-Learning Community is coming to the Halsey Street corridor.

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Photos of the Day 9/2/17

Construction is underway to convert this former Newark church at Washington and James Streets into an Audible facility.

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Photo of the Day 9/1/17

It may be just an empty baseball stadium now, but Newark's newest neighborhood is slated to rise from the site of the Newark Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

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