After a free fall caused mainly by deindustrialization and the flight of the middle class, cities across the nation are looking for ways to regain strength and support. Politicians, planners, developers and an increasing number of private citizens are turning to cultural and historical organizations to bring money and people back into urban centers.
In Newark, the New Jersey Historical Society (NJHS) is trying to get the city back onto the map by raising awareness of what Newark has to offer—a rich history, a vibrant city and a place that people would enjoy if they only took the time to get to know it.
Behind this highly advertised revitalization are real people with real names. One of them is Leah Y. Lamb, director for advancement at NJHS.
Lamb is not one of those people whose face is easily recognized by the average Newark resident or visitor. That's because Lamb's name does not usually appear in politicians' speeches or in newspaper articles about the comeback of the city of Newark. Her job, however, is vital.
Lamb is in charge of fund raising, public relations and special events, such as organizing the Society's exhibit openings and banquets. She works in its elegant headquarters, located in the heart of the arts district in downtown Newark. The building, constructed in 1926, formerly housed the Essex Club--a men's social club. Today, it is the home of the Society's offices, library and exhibition spaces.
She is the face and the voice that the society presents to those interested in supporting it, the one who has to show prospective visitors and investors that there is a reason for them to come into the city.
"I help to keep the doors open," Lamb said.
Her challenge, at times, is to get people to let go of their misconceptions and enjoy the city for what it has to offer.
"When I first moved to Newark, I probably had the same misconceptions," Lamb said, adding that "you can't believe everything you hear."
Working in the city, Lamb has seen how Newark really is and how it has changed through the years.
Many of those who are reluctant to visit the city are people whose first impression of Newark is negative, people who are not as receptive as Lamb was to change. In these instances, Lamb said, she looks for something that might appeal to them, such as a nice, warm story, to bring them to the organization.
"It's different among the corporations," Lamb said. "They definitely understand the need to give. The health of the city contributes to the health of their organizations."
Lamb stresses, however, that the Society does not try to create a specific image of the city. Instead, it tries to help people realize its richness, both historical and cultural.
As for the future of Newark, she agrees with those who think that the first step to urban revival is to create entertainment to attract people.
"I think that we need to get to the point that, without crossing the border, we create nightlife here that's safe and fun," Lamb said.
"I think the whole cultural renaissance and the fact that we decided to stay in the city ... have contributed effectively" to the city's revival, she added.
The Historical Society, created in 1845, has been in Newark since 1846. The Society is a statewide institution, but its history and that of Newark have been intertwined for the past century and a half.
Sally Yerkovich, NJHS president and chief executive officer, explained that when the Society relocated from its previous location in the North Ward to downtown, right next to where the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) was scheduled to be built, the Society made a commitment not only to help the city in its revival but also to take a larger role through partnerships with the NJPAC, the Newark Museum and area schools.
The Adopt-A-School program, one example of this partnership, allows educators and students to collaborate on programs using the Society's historical collections. In addition, the Society developed programs for children and families, Yerkovich said. These programs, usually held on Saturdays, encourage children and adults to learn history together using Society exhibits and collections as well as its facilities.
The Historical Society, Lamb said, "is an educational cultural institution and a place to go to to have fun."
More than that, it houses the history not only of the city but also of the state.
Among the programs that the Society offers is "Resource-Full New Jersey," an interactive exhibit that traces the stories of some of the state's natural resources, such as minerals and clay, and shows how people have used them. For instance, minerals helped shape the Industrial Revolution as they were turned into railroad engines, rails and bridges.
Yerkovich said that when determining what exhibits to develop, the Society thinks of universal themes—issues that many people can relate to regardless of where they come from or where they live. Yerkovich values broad-based urban revival strategies. "If you just have businesses reviving the city, there is no other aspect," Yerkovich said. She believes that when a cultural institution "reflects the culture of the city, it gives the city a very special identity. It creates a whole different dynamic."
Despite all these efforts by NJHS to be part of the Newark revival, history and historical organizations are "underutilized" resources usually forgotten by city and state officials when it comes to allocating money for urban renewal, said Howard Gillette, history professor at Rutgers University-Camden. The reason, he believes, is that "arts organizations are often looked at as sources of revitalization, but historical organizations are not."
Gillette pointed out that heritage tourism can be profitable for cities because it brings people and money into the city, encouraging historic preservation and community revitalization.
The issue, Gillette said, is reconnecting people with the city. The challenge is to offer those who left the city and their descendants something that they are interested in.
Newark "has changed radically," Gillette said. "As a consequence, people sometimes feel that if it's not the place they knew, they are not interested in it."
Yerkovich said NJHS has taken that issue into consideration and developed a number of exhibits that depicted the city as it used to be. An example of this is "The Pride of Newark," an exhibit on minor and Negro league baseball in Newark during the 1930s and '40s.
Dennis Gale, director of the Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers-Newark, observes that Newark is only starting to develop historical and cultural institutions. After the 1967 riots, Newark had other problems to address and not much money left for "the luxury" of thinking about history.
"History becomes important when other things are being taken care of," Gale said.
Now, Gale believes Newark is in a better position to address these issues. However, he says that the city needs time for people to develop an interest in history and the arts.
"History will become important to elected officials when the people make it important," Gale said.
Newark's future depends also on the wellness of the economy. Lamb said she is concerned with what the future holds: During a recession, consumption and both private and public investment tend to fall. That would translate into fewer funds for historical and cultural organizations.
Nonetheless, Gale said history is something that the city should invest in because it gives residents a sense of pride and visitors a reason to come.
Gillette agreed, adding, "It's always important for people to have a better awareness of where they come from."
Besides, Lamb said, "they always say, if you don't know where you've been, you don't really have a good sense of where you're going."
Maria Armental, Rutgers-Newark '01, is a Rutgers-Newark graduate student in global studies.
