North Jersey Episcopal diocese to move after selling headquarters to NJPAC for $3.85M
The Episcopal Diocese of Newark, spiritual home for more than 20,000 North Jersey Christians, is selling its longtime headquarters in the city for $3.85 million and will move its offices to a new home in Livingston, church officials said.
The diocese, which covers eight counties in the northern third of the state, is selling Episcopal House, its home for the last 26 years, to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
NJPAC purchased the 31 Mulberry St. site as part of a $150 million downtown redevelopment plan that the arts center is leading.
The diocese will use the proceeds to cover the costs of preparing and moving into its new headquarters in Livingston, the former St. Peter's Church on Mount Pleasant Avenue. The balance of the purchase price will be added to the endowment that supports its $3 million annual operating budget, said diocese spokeswoman Nina Nicholson.
The Newark building was aging and expensive to maintain, she said in an interview.
"With the expansion of NJPAC’s arts education program, we needed to acquire additional classroom and community learning spaces," Tim Lizura, the arts center's senior vice president for real estate and capital projects, said in an email. "The intended purchase of the Mulberry street property will be incorporated into our new Cooperman Arts Education and Community Center campus.”
The contract calls for the transaction to be completed in September 2024, Nicholson added. The diocese expects to move to St. Peter's around that time.
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That house of worship closed in November 2021 due to falling membership, Nicholson said.
A relocation committee selected the property after a months-long search of real estate in Newark. The new building has ample parking and is accessible for people with disabilities.
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The building on Mulberry Street has been used by the diocesan staff and organizations since 1997. Before that, it was owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, and the Episcopal headquarters was at 24 Rector St. in Newark.
The diocese will continue to use Trinity & St. Philip's Cathedral on Broad Street in downtown Newark, which is the oldest Episcopal cathedral in use in the nation.
The Episcopal Diocese of Newark includes 92 congregations in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Warren and Union counties.
Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: yellin@northjersey.com
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Episcopal Diocese of Newark NJ sells office to NJPAC
