Newark Symphony Hall facts for kids
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| Address | 1020 Broad Street Newark, New Jersey United States |
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| Owner | Essex County Improvement Authority |
| Type | Performing arts center |
| Capacity | Sarah Vaughan Hall: 3,500 Newark Stage: 200 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1925 |
| Architect | Grad Associates |
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Salaam Temple
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Symphony Hall and Boys Chorus School
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 Location in Essex County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1020 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Area | 1.0566 acres (0.4276 ha) |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Grad Associates |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000867 |
| Added to NRHP | October 5, 1977 |
The Newark Symphony Hall is a famous place for shows and performances in Newark, New Jersey. It opened in 1925 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. For many years, people knew it as The Mosque Theater. It used to be the home for groups like the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the New Jersey Ballet Company.
The Essex County Improvement Authority owns the Hall. A non-profit group called the Newark Performing Arts Corporation (NPAC) runs it.
Contents
A Look Inside: Design and Building
The building was first built in 1925 by a group called the Shriners. It cost over $2 million, which was a lot of money back then! It was called Salaam Temple and people often just called it The Mosque. Since 1964, it has been known as Newark Symphony Hall.
The inside of the Hall is very fancy. It has designs inspired by ancient Greece and Egypt. You can see marble columns, a sparkling crystal chandelier, and gold decorations. The building's style is called neo-classical. A well-known Newark architect named Frank Grad designed it.
The main concert hall has 3,500 seats. It is named after Sarah Vaughan, a famous singer from Newark. This hall is known for its amazing sound quality.
The Newark Stage is a smaller theater with 200 seats. It's a "black box theater," which means it has a simple, flexible design for different plays. The Terrace Ballroom is used for parties and events. The Studio is a space for rehearsals. The Dance Studio is one of the top dance training places in New Jersey. It is used by the School of the Garden State Ballet.
A Journey Through Time: History of the Hall
In its early years, the Griffith Piano Company helped support the theater. This company also built a special organ for the Hall. It is one of only ten such organs installed in northeastern New Jersey during that time.
A very important moment happened in 1940. Marian Anderson, a famous African American singer, performed at the symphony hall. She was the first African American to do so.
New Jersey's first TV station, WATV Channel 13, started broadcasting from the Hall in 1948. Other radio and TV stations also had their studios there over the years. Today, Channel 13 is a non-commercial station called WNET.
By 1964, The Mosque Theater was in trouble and might have been torn down. A famous show producer, Sol Hurok, said it would be "a terrible misfortune for music." He said it was one of the best concert halls in the country. The city of Newark bought it for $340,000 to save it. It became a non-profit organization and was renamed Symphony Hall.
Many famous performers have graced the stage at Symphony Hall. Opera stars like Jerome Hines and Leontyne Price have performed there. Music legends such as Victor Borge, Judy Garland, Bob Dylan, Patti LaBelle, Count Basie, Queen Latifah, and Tony Bennett have also appeared. Even rock stars like The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton have played at the venue.
Before the New Jersey Performing Arts Center opened, Symphony Hall was one of the main places for performances in New Jersey. It was home to the New Jersey Symphony and the Newark Boys Choir. Even now, the Hall continues to host plays, music, and dance shows. Many community groups have held their annual events there for over 25 years.
The area around the Hall is called The Coast. This part of Newark has a rich history of gospel music. It continues to be a place where many well-known Black artists come from.
Newark Symphony Hall is home to Special Ensemble, a group that won the McDonald's Gospelfest. The Hall also hosts an annual gospel showcase called "When Praise Goes Up!"
In 2007, there was talk of creating a Museum of African American Music at the Hall. This museum would collect important items about jazz, blues, hip-hop, and other music styles.
The Hall announced a big plan in 2009 to fix up the theater. This project was expected to cost $40 million. In 2010, the Hall hosted events for the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival for the first time.
In 2018, Taneshia Nash Laird became the new President and CEO of NPAC, the group that runs the Hall. In 2019, the Hall held auditions for a TV show about the history of Uptown Records.
Restoration work continued in 2020. The goal was to finish it by the building's 100th anniversary in 2025. Even during the work, shows continued in the main halls. In October 2020, the Hall received a large grant to help pay for its renovations.
In April 2021, while the Hall was closed due to the pandemic, it started hosting online events. It also launched "The Lab," a program to help local performing artists. In May 2021, the renovation budget grew to $50 million. Plans included restoring the original sign and creating a new outdoor plaza. They also planned to open an unused floor that had been empty for 30 years.
How the Hall Operates
The Newark Performing Arts Corporation (NPAC) is a non-profit group that runs Newark Symphony Hall. The Hall's yearly budget is about $1.7 million. The city of Newark helps by giving $600,000 each year. The Hall is listed on state and national lists of historic places. This helps it get special funding and tax credits for its upkeep. Talia Young is the current CEO and President of NPAC.
Images for kids
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Symphony Hall and Boys Chorus School
See also
- The Coast
- Stanley Theater (Newark, New Jersey)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey
