![]() ![]() "I began to fantasize about what it would take to light up the neighborhood," Barabas said. NJ Rep has already been operating successfully on Broadway for 20 years.īarabas said that the idea for NJ Rep came when his job, which required late hours, found him frequently driving down an empty downtown late at night. Gabor Barabas, Executive Producer for NJ Rep, said that he envisions the project as a way to cooperate with area businesses, and bring more arts and culture to West End. It will also move the main entrances away from the north side of the building, which is opposite houses, to avoid disturbing residents. The proposal, by NJ Repertory Company, will keep much of the basic structure of the school, but add some features and modernize the existing structure, making it more energy and ecologically friendly. Long Branch - This is one of the nicest, most beautiful and publicly benevolent uses I have seen" said Planning Board Chair Ed Thomas as he and the board unanimously approved a plan to turn the former West End School into the West End Performing Arts Center, with theaters, cinema, a museum, and other attractions. I'm committed to Broadway," said Pearlman.īoard enthusiastically says yes to West End Arts Center It is situated in a blighted neighborhood where redevelopment has been stalled. "Hopefully the lawsuit just goes away."Īt the same time, Pearlman said the Repertory will not abandon its lower Broadway location on the other side of the city. "We will be closing in March and in April we can start occupying the property," said Pearlman. Marilyn Pearlman, chairperson for the Repertory, said the theater company is ready to close on a nearly $2 million deal to purchase the school from the Long Branch school district. ![]() ![]() Right now we have an ordinance passed and that is what we are going by," said Martin Arbus, planning board attorney. "It potentially could affect (the Repertory Company). The city contends Kelly's claims are without merit. Kelly - a West End attorney - is the city used spot zoning when it created the design. Among the claims in the suit brought by Scott M. The West End is a mix of small businesses - pizza and ice cream shops, jewelery stores and bars - one block from the beach.Ī lawsuit against the city threatens to overturn the West End Overlay Design. Performing arts were a newly permitted use in the West End when the city adopted the West End Overlay Design this year. It's a very pronounced, strong image worked into the West End," said Blakeman. "We're going to have colored murals that light up the space at night. Robert Blakeman of Studio B in East Brunswick, the architect on the project, said features like a green roof, wood canopies, and a great lawn, among other designs, will give it visual appeal. "It's coming to the West End when the West End really needed it, suffering from our fire," said Thomas, in reference to the February 2012 blaze that claimed 10 businesses and 13 apartments on Brighton Avenue the three lots where the buildings stood are still bare. The Repertory plans to reuse the existing buildings, giving them a face lift consisting of a red brick exterior. The center will have artisan housing for visiting playwrights, directors and performers, a visual art and exhibition museum, studio and educational space for musical and theater lessons. It calls for five theaters - two cinemas for screenings, a 150-seat proscenium theater, a rehearsal theater and a black box theater. The planning board approved the Repertory's plan on Tuesday. "It's going to take the old school and bring it up to a level that is probably going to be unmatched along the coast," said Ed Thomas, chairman of the Planning Board. LONG BRANCH – The New Jersey Repertory Company is another step closer to moving into the former West End School and renovating the property to turn it into a performing arts center. ![]() (Photo: Courtesy of Studio B/New Jersey Repertory Company) ![]()
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