The Newark Central Planning Board recently voted to approve a proposal that will rehabilitate the six-story building that was the former home of L. Bamberger & Co. and Ohrbach’s at the corner of Halsey and Market streets.
Members of the board voted to approve the proposal, which also calls for consolidating the four lots at 141-149 Market Street, during its regular meeting on September 14.
Dave Robinson, a principal at Newark-based architectural firm SUAD Architects and the project’s lead architect, told the board the project will deliver 98 new apartments and give the property a substantial facelift. The applicant, Tesb Market LLC, intends to restore the building’s exterior to its 1950s look and feel, when Ohrbach’s was still the anchor tenant, he said.
The current signage around the building will be reduced in size, and the boarded-up windows and façade will also be restored to their mid-20th-century look and feel. Architectural drawings made public by the board show the basement level of the building will include about 3,700 square feet of amenity space for a workout room, tenant storage, meeting spaces, and other amenities. Robinson said the applicant also intends to add other amenities, such as a pet washing area and a bike storage room.
The main residential entrance and a private residential entrance will be located along Halsey Street toward the northern end of the site. The project will add a residential lobby spanning approximately 3,800 square feet and will include a lounge, pool table, and possibly a pickleball court. Robinson said the applicant intended to use part of the lobby for programming from third-party vendors, but he did not provide exact details on how the amenity spaces will be used.
The plans approved by the board also include adding two new lightwells on the eastern side of the property that will run from the rooftop down to two separate amenities on the second floor. There, residents will have access to a cherry blossom grove and a reflecting pool. The applicant will also restore the building’s roof and add about 1,100 square feet of amenity space, including 727 square feet of outdoor space.
Robinson said the garden will honor the memory of Caroline Bamberger Fuld, who is credited with starting the tradition of donating cherry blossom trees at Branch Brook Park.
The residential portion of the building will consist of 98 apartment units, including 20 affordable units. It will include five studios, 70 one-bedrooms, 15 two-bedrooms, and five three-bedroom units. Unit sizes will range from approximately 530 square feet for a studio to 1,020 square feet for a three-bedroom. The project includes 41 one-bedrooms spanning about 575 square feet and 29 one-bedroom “flex” units spanning about 690 square feet.
Although the planning board did not review the proposal’s financial feasibility, Robinson told the board the applicant is seeking federal tax credits to restore the building. He added that a retail pad on the basement level of the building remains available for use, though it was not part of the application.
While the building has been part of downtown Newark for nearly 130 years, the former home of L. Bamberger & Co. and Ohrbach’s tells a story that reflects Newark’s history. Like the Hahne & Co. building six blocks north, the building at 141 Market Street has weathered changes in Brick City and the state’s retail landscape.
The building is the original home of L. Bamberger & Co., which was acquired from the bankrupt Hill & Craig department store in 1892. A report from Newark Business Co. says the department store saw massive success and spent $13 million to build the 1 million-square-foot storefront on Washington Street in 1912. By 1924, the store employed 2,800 workers.
By 1928, the department store had sales totaling $38 million, making it the fourth-biggest store in the country by revenue, according to the report.
Bamberger continued to operate out of both buildings, but a December 1973 New York Times report says Ohrbach’s moved into the building at 141 Market Street in 1930.
Ohrbach’s expanded and consolidated adjacent buildings, totaling 185,000 square feet of commercial space, including 73,000 square feet of selling space.
Ohrbach’s eventually closed the storefront in 1974, citing declining sales for over a decade, increased competition from suburban malls, and stalled lease negotiations.
Robinson told the planning board that while the ground floor has continued to serve several storefronts, no tenant has occupied the second through sixth floors for at least 35 years.
