Expectations are high for what the Prudential Center will contribute to Newark and its residents

It took nearly a decade during which time the naysayers abounded, but come October 25, 2007 the brand new state-of-the-art sports and entertainment facility will open in downtown Newark , New Jersey . With it come possibilities for a big come back for the Brick City , which has been trying to inch its way forward since the riots of 1967.

The arena is named for Prudential Financial, Inc. one of the world’s leading financial service companies. Founded and headquartered in Newark since 1875, Prudential purchased 20-year naming rights to have the facility called Prudential Center and emblazoned across the front and even on the roof.

According to Arthur Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential, deepening the company’s ties to its home city was on of the most import considerations in making the agreement. “” Prudential Center is another significant step in the resurgence of Newark ,” said Ryan. “Prudential is proud to play a key role in the renaissance of our headquarters city.”

Economic Engine for the City

The Prudential Center is the new home of the New Jersey Devils, one of the best teams in the National Hockey League and the winners of three Stanley Cups in the last 13 years, an admirable record to be sure.

But that’s not the whole story. The Prudential Center is the centrifuge for development in the surrounding area and seen by many as an economic engine for the City.

The arena sits just minutes from major highways, Newark Penn Station and Newark Airport . It is the newest and most technologically advanced arena in the country, with capacities of 17,625 for hockey, 18,500 for basketball, 19,500+ for concerts. It boasts 76 luxury suites, two event suites, two club lounges, a goal bar, terrace and a 350-seat gourmet restaurant. An 800 sq. ft. big screen LED television faces Newark Penn Station. While we haven’t visited the actual site, Michael Gilfillan, vice chairman of Devils Renaissance Development LLC, the Devils affiliate responsible for creating the arena, was anxious to show off the room-size models of the arena’s various amenities they have built on the 33 rd floor of 744 Broad Street . Utilized as a sales office for the $225,000 luxury suites, and sponsorship of commercial venues in the arena, it also provides a birds-eye view of the work going on at the arena directly below.

Sports, Concerts and Trade Shows

The Devils will play about half of their remaining games in the arena not including playoff or championship games. (A championship would be a real boon for the new arena and for Newark !) That leaves room for about 200 other sporting events, concerts and trade shows. Then there’s college basketball. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Seton Hall University men’s basketball teams will play their home games there. Seton Hall is a member of the BIG EAST Conference and plays some of top college teams in the country including Connecticut , Georgetown , St. John’s and Rutgers . An exciting schedule of concerts is also on tap beginning with the opening event on October 25, New Jersey ’s own rocker Bon Jovi, who will play 10 consecutive sold out dates.

The project cost $375 million. The City put in $210 million and the Devils organization, $165 million. Between rent, parking and hotel taxes, the City could see a profit that its financial coffers badly needs. And there are jobs for Newark residents and extra funding that Mayor Cory Booker negotiated for parks, job training and other concessions before he would put his stamp of approval on the project. He is behind the project now and anxious to begin reaping its rewards. In fact, when he spoke at the annual conference of the International Downtown Association, an organization of Business Improvement Districts from around the world, which convened in New York City in September, the arena was central to his remarks.

Recreation and Culture

The Guiding Hand, Inc., a Newark-based not-for-profit, works with young people in the arts and culture area through the City’s Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs. One of the many programs the organization has initiated involves teaching computer skills through art. “We have had several meetings with AEG Worldwide,” said Roy Breckenridge, president of The Guiding Hand (TGH). AEG manages the Prudential Center and books concerts and other events for the arena. “Dale Adams and Raj Taha have been very cooperative with helping to put TGH on line for events in 2007 and 2008,” he continued. We’re planning a press conference, which will include several people to talk about community initiatives. They have welcomed me and my partners, Jerry Chambers and Yvonne Garrett Moore and our ideas. We are hopeful their commitment is genuine and that the people will benefit.”

A Community Center

Mike Gilfillan says that working with the community is one of the primary concerns of his organization. To that end, they are making the arena’s practice rink available as a community center. It will be open to the public and for the local hockey teams that are springing up in Newark for kids as young as six. In making the facilities available to local organizations, Gilfillan pointed out they will do what they can to make it feasible. “If the Boys & Girls Club wants to have a party, they can have it here and we’ll pay for the lights and for opening up the building. This is a building that reaches out to everybody. It’s not just about [professional] hockey,” he said.

“The children are key to our future here in Newark,” Jeffrey Vanderbeek , chairman of the New Jersey Devils and Devils Renaissance Development LLC, told Jan Wilson of Development New Jersey magazine. “We look forward to having the children of Newark continue to be a part of our future hockey initiatives.”

The pastor of one of Newark ’s largest congregations, Rev. Joe A. Carter of The New Hope Baptist Church is optimistic about what the Prudential arena will bring to the City. “It gives the City of Newark and County of Essex an awesome opportunity to build an economic base for people who would have otherwise been disenfranchised,” he commented. “My hope and trust, as the doors of this new entity swing open to our community, is that the minority population will benefit from its presence here. We positively welcome the impact of our inclusion into the fabric of not only the sport of hockey but also the social and cultural integration that the Prudential Center will afford now and in the years to come.”

Optimism seems to be the mood of the times, though some wonder how Newark ’s minority population will respond to hockey, since historically, the sport has not attracted many fans from the African American population. This is most likely due to the fact that the percentage of black players is low. It should be noted that there are black players and their numbers are on the rise. However, most professional players hail from Canada where the black population is a meager 02 percent— enough said. It is quite possible that in time those numbers will increase as Newark youth begin to pursue the sport in local schools.

Destination City

A plaque thanking City National Bank for its help in financing their sales office hangs at the Devils’ 744 Broad Street headquarters. Stanley Weeks, who was born and raised there is the executive vice president of the Newark-based City National Bank, the state’s only African American-owned commercial bank, with branches in New York and Philadelphia. Weeks, who co-chaired the Arena Oversight Committee, and was one of the co-signers on the agreement that moved the project forward, is enthusiastic in his comments.

“I love Newark . Newark is a sleeping giant,” Weeks said. “It’s 22 minutes from Penn Station in New York. We have the Path Train to lower Manhattan and Midtown and the light rail within our downtown. There’s the airport, and we’re accessible by major highways. With NJPAC (Newark Performing Arts Center), the arena and the other development, including over 3,000 units of housing that is taking place around it, the arena can be one of the economic drivers that moves Newark to become a destination city and a leader in urban transformation.”