Northern and “Architect of the Century” Together Again

Northern is building custom windows for another Ralph Walker classic Art Deco building.
540 Broad Street in Newark, NJ was designed by Walker in 1929 for New Jersey Bell Telephone.
The tower is widely known for its distinctive brick and sandstone facade, much of which is awash in orange light after dark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The façade features massive sandstone figure reliefs representing telephone company workers, such as a lineman, operator, and a repairman.

Inglese Architecture and CetraRuddy have planned the transformation of the 20-story building which will include 260 apartments, a section of which will be affordable, and 60,000 square feet of retail. The design will preserve many of the historic details. “This is an incredible landmark of this city and a national treasure, and we are delighted to help bring it new life,” John Cetra, the founding principal of CetraRuddy, said in a press release.

The architects and L+M Development chose Northern Architectural Systems to provide new high-energy-efficiency windows customized to keep the character of the building. “Northern has a great depth of experience in providing windows for classic buildings designed by Ralph Walker, Raymond Hood and other notable architects” according to Northern CEO, Robert Pecorella. Ralph Walker was named “Architect of the (20th) Century” by the NY Times.

The project is L+M and Prudential’s latest investment in the revitalization of Downtown Newark in partnership with the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group and Citi Community Capital with financing from The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA).