The New Jersey Performing Arts Center plans to raze Newark’s 85-year-old Cathedral House within two months, citing asbestos in mastic inside its brick facade. It sits in a historic district on state and national registers; a park and truck parking are planned there.
Newark’s Landmarks & Historic Preservation Commission approved demolition in January; NJPAC says all approvals have been granted. Cathedral House was completed in 1941 as the Archdiocese of Newark’s headquarters and hosted the inaugural Black Power Conference in 1967. The ArtSide plan initially proposed preserving its Collegiate Gothic facade, painted over in 2001 with an arts-themed mural by Paula Scher.
Commissioner Myles Zhang, one of two members who voted against the demolition permit, was not reappointed by Mayor Ras J. Baraka. Zhang’s two-year term expired in October 2025, but he remained in a holdover role. Zhang and other preservationists suspect retaliation; Baraka said Zhang’s alternate term had ended and the commission chair was considering many resumes for his replacement. Baraka said NJPAC and ArtSide partner L + M Development Partners never expressed displeasure with the vote; NJPAC said it had no influence over the commission’s voting or appointment process. Zhang argued asbestos can be abated and does not justify demolition.
