“Clayton M. Christensen, the highly regarded Harvard Professor and author of the seminal book, The Innovator’s Dilemma, is famous for asking the simple question, “What is the job to be done, what are we hiring the [Park] to do?” As with any effective elevator pitch or approved dissertation thesis statement, it takes great consideration before the answer can be distilled to its essence; and ultimately, to human behavior driven by emotions. Once you know those who you want to attract, once the experience you want to provide, once the resulting emotional payoff you want to induce is in mind, then from that point of clarity, the vectors of design creativity just flow and success is built.”
Michael McCall, President of Strategic Leisure, was first introduced to Newark, New Jersey in 1991, when James W. Rouse (Michael’s mentor) was asked to site a proposed performing arts center. Michael led that work, placing the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, not on the Passaic River as was locally expected, but on the then boarded-up, yet historically handsome, triangular Military Park. Today, Prudential’s $400+ Million world headquarters also sits on the edge of Military Park overlooking NJPAC, along with the Nike Store and Whole Foods.
In 2016, New Jersey Performing Arts Center founding Board Member and Chairman of Fidelco Realty Group, Marc Berson, asked Michael to return to Newark, this time to define the strategic potential and compelling design of the neighboring Washington Park.
Washington Park is home to Amazon's Audible headquarters in a contemporary office building and soon expanding into a creative reuse of a large church, Rutgers University Business School and graduate student housing, Newark Public Library, Newark Museum (founded by John Cotton Dana), and the former Verizon headquarters now slated for housing.
Note: Strategic Leisure's Washington Park design is not, yet, public, and is not depicted here.
Amazon’s Audible division and Fidelco Reality Group engaged Strategic Leisure to develop a fresh and compelling design for Washington Park in Newark, New Jersey. The Park dates back to colonial America and needs significant attention, as it is key to Newark’s continued downtown renaissance. After researching Audible’s planned growth plans and and other client objectives; researching the planning and urban design context of the whole area; engaging with private, community and public stakeholders; and, defining the Park’s strategic objectives; Strategic Leisure conceptually designed a proposed new Washington Park. Strategic Leisure’s whole leadership of Washinton Park and its district, has resulted in:
A design embraced by the clients, who called it a strategic & creative“game changer.”
The review of real estate opportunities around Washington Park neighborhood.
The private sector's willingness to help fund the Park’s redevelopment.
