Gateway

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Gensler transformed a disconnected 1970s office complex into Newark's new front door, a 1.6-million-square-foot hub where transit, culture, and community converge.

Location

Newark, New Jersey

Client

Onyx Equities

Expertise

[FPO] Building Transformation [FPO] Adaptive Reuse Office Developers Brand Design [FPO] Mixed Use [FPO] Retail Centers Strategy Building Transformation & Adaptive Reuse Mobility & Transportation

Opportunity

Built to disconnect, Newark's aging Gateway complex needed a bold reimagining to become the inclusive, street-level destination the city's resurgence demanded.

Following unrest during the civil rights movement in the late 1960s, Gateway was intentionally designed with bridges to separate visitors from the city streets. Decades later, that same inward-facing logic has fractured Newark. Now, the city is at a critical juncture; it’s transforming into a cultural arts and education mecca with a vibrant network of bustling ethnic communities. Gateway serves nearly 75,000 daily workers yet remains disconnected from the neighborhoods surrounding it.

Why This Matters

01
Joining Commuters With Community
Gateway reverses decades of deliberate disconnection, opening its ground floor to the street and creating connections from Newark Penn Station directly into the heart of the complex.
02
Inclusive Design for All
Following a legacy of barriers, Newark demanded a welcoming place where everyone, residents, commuters, and local entrepreneurs alike, could experience the authenticity and soul of the city’s diverse communities.
03
A Catalyst for Newark
Gateway positions Newark as a destination for Fortune 500 companies and cultural institutions, amplifying the city's ongoing revitalization and reinforcing its identity as a rising American city.

We had a vision [for Gateway], Gensler painted the picture. The idea was, what’s the most important statement to make. And to us, the most important statement to make was to make Gateway a welcoming place.

Solution

Gensler reimagined Gateway as an inclusive urban destination, opening its ground floor to the street and weaving transit, retail, and community into one connected experience.

Gateway’s new exterior “jewel box” features 10,000 square feet of lower-level retail space designed to reconnect commuters and community just outside the steps of Newark Penn Station. An urban street branded as the Junction, operates as a curated lifestyle and food destination where local retailers, restaurants, and makers share their craft in a market-style corridor. Marrying Newark’s industrial past with its modern, tech-focused future, Gateway mirrors a refined industrial palette that welcomes users seeking coworking, social engagement and networking.

From brief to build: how a disconnected 1970s complex became Newark's most welcoming urban destination.

Gensler's design thinking centered on a single organizing principle: reverse the original intent. An experience masterplan was developed to understand Gateway’s existing and ideal audiences, including key principles that would guide redevelopment: welcoming, human scale, authentic, inclusive, and evolving. These principles are reflected in each of Gateway’s key spaces: skybridges that welcome visitors, the Junction as a marketplace, the Jewel Box as a community gathering space, the concourse as an urban street, and the atrium that opens up to the street.

Transform Gateway as Newark’s Front Door

Creating a Connected Experience

Gateway was designed to link workplace, retail, commuters, and the community throughout the 1.6 million square foot complex.

Impact

Gateway has become a catalyst for Newark's revitalization — an inclusive hub where nearly 75,000 daily workers and city residents convene for connection and activity.

Gateway’s reimagined public spaces, expanded retail, and dining options have positioned the complex as a hub of business and cultural activity at the center of a rapidly transforming city.

What Changed Because of This

01
Class A Office Space
Gateway’s curated experience has welcomed premiere tenants seeking commuter-friendly, amenitized headquarters-quality space, including NJ Transit and WebMD.
02
Street Activation
The Jewel Box
03
Maker Discovery
The Junction at Gateway gives Newark’s local retailers, restaurateurs, and makers a platform to engage with new visitors and tenants seeking meaningful opportunities to engage with the city’s culture.

Gateway's transformation proves that reconnecting a building to its city can create lasting value for both clients and communities.

Recognition

01

CoStar

Highlights Dana Nalbantian’s perspective on shifting office amenities, citing Gateway’s welcoming street-level transformation as a model for renewed workplace experience.

02

NJBIZ

Gensler and Onyx Equities' new vision for Gateway reflects the energy and forward motion for Newark, a city on the rise.

03

New Jersey Business Magazine

Gateway is recognized as a New Good Neighbor Award winner for its revitalization, community impact, and prominent tenant attraction.

Team

Project Leadership

Dana Nalbantian

As a Studio Director and workplace design expert in Gensler’s Morristown office, Dana has completed more than 20 million square feet for clients. Her cross-disciplinary expertise in architecture and interior design brings cohesion, balance, and clarity to complex workplace projects.

Roger Smith

Roger Smith believes in the power of design to transform cities and strengthen communities. He brings deep expertise in translating community needs and aspirations into inclusive environments that serve a broad range of people.

Erin Mahoney

A Studio Director and Principal in Gensler’s Morristown office, Erin Mahoney specializes in refining architectural processes and mitigating risk, which translates into established best practices and value for Gensler’s clients.

[FPO] Janine Intonato

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FAQ

01

Who designed the Gateway Center transformation?

Gensler developed the new vision for Gateway Center in collaboration with Onyx Equities, transforming the complex into a more open, connected urban destination.

02

What did the Gateway project transformation address?

The project transformed a complex once designed as a barrier between office tenants and city streets into a welcoming experience that connects the community.

03

What design moves helped make Gateway Center more connected?

Gensler introduced a new entry hall, renovated retail concourse, updated office lobbies, and unified building façades to create a more seamless experience.

04

How does Gateway Center benefit Newark?

The design creates a new front door to the city by activating the street, improving access, and reconnecting Gateway with Newark’s public realm.

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Related Expertise

Building Transformation Adaptive Reuse Office Developers Brand Design Mixed Use Retail Centers Strategy Building Transformation & Adaptive Reuse Mobility & Transportation

Gensler transformed a disconnected 1970s office complex into Newark's new front door, a 1.6-million-square-foot hub where transit, culture, and community converge.

Built to disconnect, Newark's aging Gateway complex needed a bold reimagining to become the inclusive, street-level destination the city's resurgence demanded.

Why This Matters

Gensler reimagined Gateway as an inclusive urban destination, opening its ground floor to the street and weaving transit, retail, and community into one connected experience.

From brief to build: how a disconnected 1970s complex became Newark's most welcoming urban destination.

Gateway has become a catalyst for Newark's revitalization — an inclusive hub where nearly 75,000 daily workers and city residents convene for connection and activity.

What Changed Because of This