The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-07-11
New Twelye-Story Building Will
Cover Entire BlOck-WOrk
to Begin May, 1909.
PROJECT WILL EMPLOY
SMALL ARMY OF MEN
Seventeen Business Houses to
Be Razed-Senator Dryden
Describes Improvement.

Plans for the greatest single building
operation ever undertaken in Newark
were made public today by the Pruden-
tial Insurance Company. which will
shortly cover the entire block bounded
by Broad. Academy, Halsey and Bank
streets. with mammoth twelve-story
office buildings, at an estimated cost
of approximately $2,500,00
Seventeen buildings nov occupied by
business firms will be razed to make
way for the new structures. The only
buildings to be left standing on the
block are the present north building of
the Prudential Company, the home Of
the Essex County Bank and the Fed
eral Trust Company building.
The actual work of construction viii
be begun May l. 1909. when most of the
leases on the present buildings expire.
The new structures will be completed
during the latter part of 1910. A small
army of workmen will be given en-
ployment, and millions will be added
to the tax ratables Of Newark. which,
| II is believed, will reduce the rate In
Newark to the lowest point ever
known.
| Details of the proposed new build
ings were made public by former
United States Senator John F. Dryden,
president of the Prudential, who said:
''In line with our general policy of
| progressive expansion and to meet the
exigencies Of the business we have
| considered this an appropriate time
for building operations of the character
we have in mind. 1t is our intention to
erect new structures to cover all the
properties not now built upon and
owned by the company in the block
bounded by Broad, Bank, Halsey and
Academy streets. These additions to
the present north building will cover
the entire area of the block with the
exception of the properties owned by
the Federal Trust Company and the
Essex County National Bank. This
will mean frontage of 60 feet inches
on Broad street. 217 feet inches on
Bank street, 68 feet on Halsey street,
| and 221 on Academy street. There will
/ be 1854, 900 cubic feet In the new con-
struction, giving a total floor area of
| nearly 250,000 square feet. Our present
group of buildings gives a total floor
area of 100000 square feet and $500, 900
cubic feet. We will thus add about so
per cent. of new construction to our
present buildings.
1.-THE proposed new buildings will be
of the same general character and
treatment -Romanesque Gotlic-as our
present group of buildings, thus MAX
ing a harmonious whole.
George B. Post, of New York. will
be the architect of the new buildings,
as he was of the buildings formerly
erected by the company. Mr.. Charles
r. Hedden has been selected as the
general contractor.
''It is proposed to have the work
pushed forward as rapidly rs possible,
though active building operations will
not begin before May 1, 1909, and to
be carried on as the leases on property
now rented expire, the last OF which
will be in 1910. We regret that 1t NAV
bo necessary to cause some incon-
venience to our present tenants, but
their present leases cannot, of course.
be interfered with.
1T has been recognized for some
time past that We are outgrowing orr
present quarters, and in fact 1t has al
ready become necessary to consider
the question of outside accommoda-
tions for some of our superintendents
and their agency forces and for storage
purposes. Our present force of Office
employees and local field represent
atives. aggregating about 2,40o, quar-
tered in the building, will be materially
added to by the time the new Offices
will be available for occupancy, SO
that most of the new space will be re-
quired for our own use"