User:Djflem/Fairmount Heights Switching Station

The Fairmount Heights Switching Station, also known as the McCarter Switching Station, is a electrical substation in Fairmont section of Newark, New Jersey in the city West Ward owned and operated by Public Service Enterprise Group. The Fairmount Heights Art Wall and colonnade are run along the northern perimeter between Littleton Avenue and South 7th Street.

https://njplanning.org/cp-assistance-program/urban-league-of-essex-county/ https://rl.studio/portfolio/exterior/the-mccarter-switching-station/

Site

This property was first developed in the mid-1800s and operated by the Cooper Wiss Company to manufacture hand tools and scissors. In 1988 the site was acquired by Victory Temple National Holiness Church which converted the facility to a church and school. The property was purchased by PSE&G in July 2012.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2012 Hurricane Sandy storm, local utilities took a beating, leaving around nine in ten of Newark’s residents without power. In response, PSE&G began upgrading its infrastructure to anticipate overloads, and it planned a switching station in Fairmount Heights to improve its resilience in the face of extreme weather events.

The project is a $277m investment by the Public Service Electric and Gas Company in Newark’s critical electric infrastructure.

Architecture and art

https://www.enr.com/articles/45285-mccarter-switching-station-art-wall-landscapeurban-development-best-project-2018 https://www.archdaily.com/892526/adjaye-associates-transform-electrical-switching-station-into-empowering-art-gallery

30ft-tall community “art wall”  is intended to reduce the impact of a massive electrical switching station.

Fourteen local and international artists were invited to create works for the 1,790ft-long wall which wraps around the These explore themes of youth, education and community history.

The $25m project includes a colonnade formed from 34ft columns that taper upwards into 49 weighted canopy tops that can support overhead art installations. he passageway will house a market, temporary artworks and informal meeting spaces.

The 48,000sq ft protective wall is made from curved, perforated aluminium and corrugated pre-cast concrete and contains niches at different levels to display permanent art works.

Adjaye said: “By providing a platform for 14 incredible artists, the Art Wall transforms a piece of necessary infrastructure into a civic anchor for Fairmount Heights and its community.

“This project speaks powerfully to public architecture’s ability, regardless of scale, to enhance the specificity of a place and to enrich the lives of its users. My hope is that it might serve as a model for integrating meaningful public programs into even the most utilitarian urban developments.”

https://www.bdonline.co.uk/adjaye-completes-25m-art-wall-to-mask-sub-station/5093072.article

Public Art

Initial opposition to the project by the community generated dialogue between the city and the utility company. https://www.tapinto.net/towns/newark/sections/west-ward/articles/art-wall-unveiled-at-fairmount-heights-switching

Adjaye Associates

The work of 14 ethnically and racially diverse male and female artists is featured on the station’s 48,000 square foot, 30-foot-high decorative wall. Six of the artists are local to Newark, while the rest hail from as far away as Jamaica and Venezuela. The creative pieces explore themes of youth, education, history and community culture. creative pieces employing various mediums including glass, aluminum and solar-powered metallic sculptures that will be installed on the upper third area of the 48,000 square foot, 30-foot-high wall.