State-of-the-Art Rec Center Unveiled in North Ward

The sliver of Newark’s North Ward near Rt. 21 has long been packed with industrial sites, large apartment buildings, tire shops and a profusion of other mom-and-pop businesses.

But the area has also been lacking in public recreation facilities, someplace where residents could take part in activities to strengthen body and mind year-round.

That changed when The Waterfront, a 26,000-square foot rec center, recently opened its doors on Grafton Avenue. 

“When I was running for office seven years ago, as I was canvassing here, one of the things I heard repeatedly was ‘get us a recreation center,’” said Anibal Ramos, who represents the ward on the Newark Municipal Council.

Ramos was among several officials who spoke Wednesday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility, which boasts amenities including a rock-climbing wall, a weight room, state-of-the-art exercise machines, a golf-course simulator, classroom space and a gymnasium. Several organizations, including the North Ward Center,  are expected to run programs and classes at The Waterfront.

Like Ramos, other officials said that building such a facility in the ward has been a long-held dream and can help rejuvenate the area. State Sen. Teresa Ruiz, whose 29th District includes the North Ward, said the area “was one of the highest pressure points for crime in the neighborhood.”

Mayor Cory Booker, referring to the nearby Riverside Villa, a Newark Housing Authority residential complex, said The Waterfront fills a gap created as the city built additional public housing in the North Ward a decade ago - but without building any additional recreation space.

“Today I feel a sense of pride....I remember there were people over there saying ‘[Mayor], you have to correct this,” Booker said. 

The $9.7 million facility, which was built with a combination of Newark Housing Authority funds and federal grants, will be run by the housing authority and will be open every day except Sunday. Membership fees will be in the range of $20 to $30 a month but will be waived or reduced based on need, said Keith Kinard, the director of the Newark Housing Authority.

Eventually, Kinard also said, there are plans to construct athletic fields behind The Waterfront and possibly bring in commercial development at the sprawling site, such as a supermarket. The city has spoken with developers interested in building near the Rt. 21 corridor, Kinard said.

But aside from its role as the possible core for additional development, Kinard said the center is also designed to expose city residents, particularly the young, to novel diversions like rock-climbing and golf -- activities already popular in the suburbs but far less so among many Newarkers.

The building’s very structure is meant to rouse the curiosity of passerby, said Greg Comito, the Newark-based architect whose firm designed The Waterfront. The main entrance is dominated by a two-story-high glass wall, making the rock-climbing wall behind it visible from the street.

“Do you build something like this inside a box or do you open it up, like we did, and show off everything inside, to bring the people in that way,” Comito said.

Kinard said plans are in the works for another facility, a $10 million center whose primary focus will be job training, in the South Ward.