The Newark Symphony Hall has been without a marquee for nearly two years, after a car crashed into the poles holding up the old marquee. However, the legendary theater has recently unveiled the design for a new one, part of a larger renovation and preservation plan.
The new marquee and entrance was designed by Trenton-based architectural firm Clarke Caton Hintz. The design features a new streetscape with bike lanes and crosswalks and a lit-up dome marquee. The new marquee references the marquee that stood outside the symphony hall in the 1960s and 70s.
John Hatch, of Clarke Caton Hintz, said, “Our idea behind the entry canopy/dome is to think of it as a delicate yet bold structure, a kind of beacon that lights-up the entire entry sequence and invites everyone to come in.The dome’s curved glass and chevron shape, along with the creative streetscape, make the hall a gathering agent and, surely, one of the city’s most unique and historic attractions.”
The new marquee is a part of a five-year, $50 million preservation project celebrating the Newark Symphony Hall’s 100th birthday. The project includes renovating an entire floor of the hall that has been dormant for 30 years and building a restaurant space on the ground floor.
The Newark Symphony Hall was built as the Salaam Temple in 1925, and soon became a performance venue known as “The Mosque.” The hall has been a center of Newark’s nightlife and has hosted performances by artists like Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones.