[chris08876]

NIMBYS be at it!

But looks like the compromise is just a 30 ft height reduction.

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This Architect Wants to Build a 46-Story Skyscraper Near the Prudential Center, But is it Too Tall for a Historic District?

The importance of a modern city is often measured by the height of its skyscrapers. It is understandable that lawyer Calvin Souder wants to reshape Newark’s skyline. It is his hometown, a city that’s been downtrodden for decades.

In the past few years, Souder has been the legal representation behind Newark’s tallest proposed buildings — Halo, the Arc Tower, and the upcoming IDT redevelopment — and he seems to be on a crusade to bring back the city’s pre-riot glory days through real estate alone.

However, his biggest obstacle has been with preservationists, who are on their own quest to save what remains of Newark’s historic architecture. A city without its history is a place without an identity, they argue.

This battle between the past and the present came to blows again last week, when developer, KS Group, came before the Historic Preservation Commission to present plans for what is being called the Newark Summit Tower in the Four Corners Historic District.


“There was an intention at the earliest of days for downtown Newark to be taller,” Souder said. “The city has gone back to saying we want to be taller.”

The Newark Summit Tower is a beautiful building — with elegant arches and curves that architect Marat Mutlu mastered under the tutelage of Zaha Hadid. But the commission argued that the building’s height doesn’t complement the landmarks that surround it – it thumbs its nose at them.

Susana Holguin-Veras, co-chair of the HPC, declared Mutlu’s design “visually, historically, contextually too tall,” a sentiment that was echoed by her colleagues, Nicaury Miller and co-chair Richard Partyka.

“There is one distinct difference in this – this is in a historic district and there are precise ordinances and guidelines we’re following,” Partyka said. “When they built those buildings, believe it or not, there were no historic districts in Newark.”

As a peace offering, Holguin-Veras – before the commission unanimously approved the project – introduced the condition that the architect lower the height of the Summit Tower to the height of the National Newark Building, a difference of 30 feet. Not much in skyscraper terms. “We could say bring it all the way down to the same street level,” she said. “We’re compromising by saying, match the tallest building nearby.”

“It’s not to block new development,” she continued. “It’s just to make sure that what does come in doesn’t damage what is already there and protected.”

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Jersey Digs