Downtown – Montclair, New Jersey
The Lackawana Railroad terminal building has been creatively repurposed with a barbeque restaurant and bar.
The Montclair Center BID is responsible for revitalization efforts in Montclair.
The Montclair Historic Preservation Commission prepared these markers to help people familiarize themselves with historic properties in town.
Large scale new development is relatively well integrated with the existing historic building stock. Note the articulation of ground floor and street facing walls and how massing is stacked to the rear with contrasting material.
The Wellmont theatre is a focal point for the downtown. Their regular programming generates activity throughout the year.
The Wellmont Arts Plaza sign draws people in from the sidewalk, highlighting businesses a few steps away.
Wayfinding signage is surprisingly effective at relatively limited cost. The wayfinding sign posts have placards with destinations and time to walk to each. Some have maps mounted below showing the streets, parking, and major destinations.
Public art facing a walkway adds some vitality, color, and character to an otherwise nondescript spot.
The presence of lower scale historic buildings like this one humanize the scale. They give a sense of arrival and also help orient people to the surrounding area.
This street view has a red brick border in herringbone pattern defining the transition from pedestrian sidewalk to a busy street. The consistent scale of buildings draws the eyes. And the relative absence of street trees or any plantings for that matter reinforce an urban feeling.
Create A Great Story is a store that takes activation of their entrance seriously. Note the layering, color, and effective use of the transom lights to carry messaging.
Public art nearby signifies this is a unique place with businesses that are design conscious and committed to making their location beautiful. Also this is effective use of a blank wall where the nearby property is further back from the building wall and property line.
Not too far away Gift Bar uses wall painting, window graphics, and a blade sign to bring their name and brand colors out to the public realm.
Just a few weeks before our visit they added the “Build the Best Gift Ever!” station. They provide boxes that customers fill with nothing that they want from the store. Then Gift Bar ships them where customers want. This is an ingenious idea that helps people bundle and increase their average purchase size. Also it fits into a trend of customization that is becoming more and more popular.
Twilight Special by Asha Ganpat is a public art installation that comes to life at night. Organized through Fresh Air Montclair, this is a collaborative involving many organizations, corporations, and funders. More curatorial and descriptive info about the artist and work would be nice.
Porta has effectively activated their sidewalk space. AstroTurf delineates the dining area. Large scale script window graphics enliven the storefront. And sidewalk signs make it know that the business is open.
Montclair Film is just a few stores down and further cements Montclair as an arts and entertainment destination.
The Montclair Art Museum has a wayfinding sign. It would benefit taking a cue from the existing Montclair wayfinding and include distance or time to walk. This is a car scaled sign but viewed by many pedestrians. A little note on walk time and distance would be helpful.
This is a pleasant compact outdoor dining area. The planters create separation from the street.
The Montclair rooster has become a much loved landmark. The origins related to a long since closed chicken restaurant. After overcoming the initial backlash to painting the rooster, it was embraced and lovingly restored many times through the years.
This banner program highlights some of the culinary talent in Montclair. There might be others but this is the only one that I saw. The quality of the photography and logo placement for Montclair Center BID on a dark background make for an effective graphic and campaign.
Another historic building on an important corner reinforces human scale. The urns above the parapet wall give visual interest.
Outdoor dining here is integrated into a well designed storefront for Sweet Kitchen. The assemblage of artificial flowers of vibrant colors and baskets tells a story and entices people to go inside. Creative furnishings and plantings further make this an attractive destination.
Across the street is more infill development. Impressive to see how six stories are treated. Arrangement of the fenestration and varying material on the corner makes it appear less then six.
Studio Montclair in partnership with the Montclair Center BID provides a way to display visual arts. When combined with theater and film, this further enhances Montclair as a center for the arts.
Parcel is a long time small batch printshop. They have a quirky and idiosyncratic display. The artfulness of the displays is really remarkable. We commented to the owner that the decorative garland on the front of the building surrounding the door drew the eye in. The fact they sell the same garland inside is a further benefit for customers.
Faubourg is an extensive hospitality venue to give the feel of multiple venues under one roof. This fulfills the definition of a faubourg as districts bustling with charming restaurants, shops, and centers of original art and culture. In a way this is a microcosm of Montclair as a whole.
Buy Sell Secondhand Clothes & Accessories fills a market niche for those looking to both buy and sell. The displays borrow from lighting and configuration of more traditional retailers. Overall this is an incredibly well executed retail store concept.
Montclair Mezzanine is a clever use of upstairs for event space. The traffic to the venue also benefits businesses on the ground floor.
One last view is of this traditional masonry clad bank building with the art installation mentioned earlier. In a way it perfectly captures how Montclair blends the traditional with the innovative.