Newark, New Jersey: A grand opening celebration will be held next week for a new restaurant in Downtown Newark.
Cordobesas has come to 85 Mulberry Street, between Commerce Street and Raymond Boulevard, in the city's East Ward. According to the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation, a grand opening celebration will be held on Tuesday, February 14th at 11:30am. The business, owned and operated by two sisters, specializes in "the best tasting empanadas", but also serves alfajores, sandwiches, tacos, omelettes, baked goods, and beverages. It is open for breakfast and lunch.
The space, located under a parking deck, was previously occupied by Lakay Caribbean Restaurant and Nicky's Cafe & Grille.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
This photo shows the Eagle Rock Reservation gazebo in West Orange.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
This photo shows Military Park in Downtown Newark at sunset.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the Downtown Newark skyline can be seen from Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
This photo shows Newark's Barringer High School.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
This photo shows a view of Morris County from Caldwell.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
The Military Park Station on the Newark Light Rail was once called the Broad Street Station.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
Newark, New Jersey: A historic building on the campus of Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark's Central Ward could soon be rehabilitated.
The four-story structure designed by prominent Essex County architect Jeremiah O'Rourke has towered over the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Central Avenue since 1871, making it Newark's oldest hospital building, but it has sat vacant for nearly a decade. Now, several local organizations are planning to revitalize the building to once again make it a center of the University Heights community.
Plans by the Community Asset Preservation Corporation (CAPC) of Halsey Street, in partnership with the Downtown-based Hanini Group, Lincoln Park-based Crawford Street Partners, and Chatham, Morris County-based CTS Group, call for transforming the building into an 88,000 square foot "arts and cultural incubator for Newark nonprofits and educational institutions," according to CAPC Real Estate Director Jeffrey Crum.
“Bringing a creative theme to that section of Newark will really have a positive impact and only expand what’s already starting to happen in that area of the city,” said Crum in an interview with Essex County Place.
Crum stated that once the rehabilitation is complete, an arts-focused charter school will take up close to 35,000 square feet, though the school operator has not yet been revealed. In addition, GlassRoots, which currently operates a glass blowing studio and gallery on Bleeker Street in Downtown Newark, is set to take around 18,000 square feet. Other parts of the building, including a former chapel, could be occupied by local art galleries that are currently being affected by the increased cost of rent in Downtown.
"We’re hoping to offer an affordable space that non-profits and artist groups can occupy long-term,” Crum explained.
Newark's Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission heard the proposal on Wednesday night, and developers are hoping that the Newark Central Planning Board will hear the plans by early March. Construction is set to begin in the summer, and could be completed by late spring of 2018. The project is not slated to receive city funding, but is set to receive funds from the New Markets Tax Credit program and historic tax credits due to the building's location in the James Street Commons Historic District, according to Crum.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
This photo shows the Midtown Manhattan skyline as seen from West Orange.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
East Orange, New Jersey: Another new development project is planned for the City of East Orange.
The project, called Hue Lofts, is slated to rise along North Arlington Avenue near City Hall Plaza and Main Street, at the site of a currently gated and vacant tract opposite the main East Orange Train Station. East Orange Public Information Officer Connie Jackson told Essex County Place that the $70 million project will be developed by Novus Equities, of Jersey City, and will include residential space, live/work spaces for artists, an art gallery, a small amphitheater, and both national and regional retailers.
"The developers have committed to hiring at least 20% of employees from East Orange for the entire project - construction to completion", said Jackson.
East Orange's mayor, Lester E. Taylor, III, addressed the development during his State of the City speech last week, stating that "this project will be the flagship of our arts and cultural district", and that the live/work spaces will "bring the arts back to our community".
Construction is slated to begin in March, and should be completed within 18 to 24 months, according to Jackson.
Follow us on Twitter - @PlaceNJ
