Meet the Teaneck native leading the $75M restoration of one of NJ's most storied theaters

The arts have been a part of Talia Young's life since the Teaneck native first laced up her dance shoes.

Young grew up studying dance in her youth, spending years with the Teaneck Terpsichoreans dance troupe as a dancer, then later choreographer, mentor and artistic director.

She's no longer at the front of the stage, but art and performance continue to be a part of her life: Young, 40, is the new chief executive officer of one of New Jersey's historic entertainment venues, Newark Symphony Hall.

The theater, on Broad Street in downtown Newark, opened in 1925 as the Salaam Temple with the nickname "The Mosque." In 1964, it was bought by the city of Newark as it was teetering on bankruptcy.

The venue survived. It has hosted numerous star performers in its nearly century-long history, including Judy Garland, Bob Dylan, Patti LaBelle and The Temptations. In early 2021, a multi-year, $75 million renovation of the space began. Since then, over $17 million has been raised from state and corporate funding for the renovation.

"The day after Martin Luther King was assassinated, Jimi Hendrix played there. You have Duke Ellington — I can go on with the list of people. This was part of the Chitlin' Circuit," Young said, referring to the collection of U.S. performance venues where African Americans performed during the era of racial segregation. "If you performed at the Apollo, the day before or the day after you performed at Newark Symphony Hall."

A NorthJersey.com reporter and photographer, during a recent visit to the entertainment venue, were able to see the finished product of the first phase of the renovation: a gleaming new Terrace Ballroom with capacity for 1,200 people that shows off its original art deco design. A mural completed in August wraps around part of the exterior of the building and pays tribute to some of Newark's iconic artists, including the singer Sarah Vaughan (whose name graces the venue's concert hall) and the poet and playwright Amiri Baraka.

Young, who now lives in West Orange, became Symphony Hall's CEO on Aug. 1, after serving as interim CEO and on the board since 2014. In an interview, she spoke about leading the institution through a restoration that's scheduled for completion in 2026, and how her upbringing in Teaneck affected her current job.

The following has been edited for space and clarity.

Can you talk about growing up in Teaneck and the path that led to Symphony Hall?

Teaneck is an amazing city. That town was the first one in the country to desegregate by choice. We had the fortune to have African American studies in our high school and middle school. Knowing who are Black creatives and inventors and how they are powerful has always been the foundation of [Teaneck] residents.

I have had the opportunity, because I believe in that foundation, to work for U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg and advocate for diverse policy initiatives. I worked for a Black-owned financial institution [Newark-based City National Bank] that focused on economic opportunities and sustainability for urban communities. Then, go to work for corporations nationally that handled event logistics and programming, which gave me a background in running an event institution. Then, I started a family about seven years ago, and I am the mother of two amazing children. And starting my own event and logistics company.

For me, this [CEO] job and this opportunity have been a melting pot. There's the development component, the policy and government lobbying component, the economic development, and understanding the finance of this. And just being a classically trained ballerina ... It's literally everything I've ever done, and you throw it in a pot. And do it in a city that I have worked in for 18 years. It's magic. It's a dream come true.

How did you become the CEO of Newark Symphony Hall?

I was on the board because the organization had a loan from City National Bank, which was the only Black-owned [banking] institution in the state. I came on as a representative from the bank and stayed on because of my love for arts and culture in Newark. So when the opportunity to become the interim CEO, it was ... certainly exciting. Then, a few days in, seeing the financial, economic development and social impact part of the actual role, I was like, "I'm down." And I've worked every day since.

What do you look to accomplish as CEO?

We are 200,000 square feet of a federal and state historic venue owned by the city of Newark that for many years has lacked love and investment in the brick-and-mortar structure, not the culture or the allure. So what we are doing is creating a five-phase restoration plan that allows the business and organization to grow and sustain while doing the floor-by-floor restoration and improving its usage. We think every day about how we activate each square foot of our space for performance, education, activation, residencies of businesses, arts organizations and entities.

What should the public know about Newark Symphony Hall?

We are Newark's first stage. Before any of these larger theaters and amphitheaters and concert halls were created, Newark Symphony Hall was here. It was the hub of the New Jersey Symphony. We do all genres. It wasn't just classical, wasn't just blues, it was poetry, it was rap, hip-hop, rock-and-roll.

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What does the Newark Symphony Hall restoration plan entail?

We are matching our phases, which are five phases right now, to our funding. Our first funding source and focus has been the health and safety of our building: heat, lighting, boiler system, plumbing and roof. All those things getting done. That's all things that are in the process of being completed or have been completed already. The other first phase was the Terrace Ballroom, which we opened in June, which is 15,000 square feet of performing arts ballroom. Having that space up and running is huge.

So now, our next four phases will be focused on our arts and education lab, which is on our third and fourth floors. It is extended to the outside, which is restoring our marquee. The last two projects will be our 300-seat black box theater, where productions, movies and small series can take place, and the master project will be a $15 million restoration of the concert hall. We’re looking forward to restoring that magical space.

Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Newark Symphony Hall restoration led by new CEO Talia Young of Teaneck