Historic Tax Credits
$3.7 Million Federal
New Markets Tax Credits
$2 Million
Total Project Cost
$23.2 Million
Project Partner
NJ Community Capital’s Community Asset Preservation Corporation, Crawford Street Partners, & Hanini Group
Impact
Arts Education Support & Access
History
St. Michael's Hospital
The original St. Michael’s Hospital has been a part of Newark’s history for nearly 150 years. Established by the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in 1869 to serve Newark’s poor and immigrant population, St. Michael’s continues to serve the needs of a growing community to this day.
The original four-story brick-bodied building, which was the focus of the historic restoration, was completed in 1871 and was part of the larger 357-bed teaching and research hospital complex. The highly regarded hospital was the first in the state to perform open-heart surgery and the first to develop a cardiac catheterization program.
The building itself is a beautiful example of Victorian Gothic architecture, featuring pointed arch windows and entrances and masonry of contrasting colors in alternating bands. The interior is flush with character and includes pressed tin ceilings, ceramic tile, double-loaded hallways, historic staircases, and a two-story chapel, all with Gothic ornamentation.
Revitalization Efforts
From Vacant to Vibrant
The sponsors purchased the property in 2016 when the hospital changed operators and invested almost $1 million to stabilize the structure, complete interior demolition, and remediate hazardous materials. The former St. Michael’s Hospital building in Newark, New Jersey is now the Newark Arts Commons, a center for arts education and creative co-living.
Community & Economic Impact
Supporting the Arts
GlassRoots programs are STEAM-based and their new 24,000 square foot space allows them to significantly expand their programming options to both young adults and the regional artist community. The organization had previously been housed in a 5,500 square foot facility, but their new home was able to quadruple the annual attendance of their school field trip activities from 776 students to over 3,200.
Additionally, their long-term youth programming, FLAME (Focus, Leadership, Arts, Mentoring, Entrepreneurship), was projected to increase from 30 annual participants to 82 annual participants within the first years in their new location. This program teaches vital leadership skills that have effectively improved the matriculation rate of its participants to 100%.
New Jersey has the largest concentration of scientific glass manufacturers in the nation. The 12-week workforce training program prepares young adults for entry-level positions, allowing high school graduates to compete for positions in the STEM fields. Seventy-five percent of graduates who have completed this program are now employed or pursuing a higher education degree. GlassRoots anticipated that workforce program participation would triple within the first years in the expanded Project space.
The project supported roughly 80 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs during construction, half of which were be hired from the local low-income communities. Upon completion, the project was projected to support 75 FTE positions.
36,300 Square Feet
of Nonprofit Space
25
Residences Created
80
Construction Jobs
75
Permanent Jobs
NTCIC & Progress
Financing & Impact
Newark Arts Commons was NTCIC’s 6th project supported by the Irvin Henderson Main Street Revitalization Fund. The Main Street Revitalization Fund provided financing through the Historic Tax Credit (HTC) and New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program to community development initiatives that support direct benefits to communities in need.
The Newark Arts Commons project was funded, in part, by NTCIC’s investment in the $3.7 Million federal Historic Tax Credits generated by the project and a New Markets Tax Credit allocation of $2 Million.
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