A Bright Future For Historic Richards Building

Reimagined space will feature a marketplace, arts center, offices, and much more. Editor’s Note: This is the second of our two-part “past and future” series on the Richards Building. Read more about the building’s history in our March/April issue or on DOVERNOW.com.

If you’ve visited downtown Dover lately, you’ve seen the renovations taking place at 1 West Blackwell Street. Whether you remember it as J.J. Newberry’s or The Antique Center, the building officially known as the Richards Building, has evolved with Dover for 150 years. Now, under new ownership, it will foster artistic collaboration, culinary creations, innovative workspaces, educational excellence, and more. 

Dover bought the building in 2018 for a new Town Hall, scrapped those plans, and in 2022, selected West Morris Capitol (owner of DOVERNOW) to redevelop it. Their proposal was the only one that preserved the building’s height and historical status. After years of thoughtful planning and hard work, the revitalized three-story, 52,000-square-foot Richards Building is reopening with spaces like flexible-term offices, a mercantile marketplace that will revive iconic Newberry’s lunch counter, and an event space overlooking Blackwell Street. The Amp, a foundational arts center, will usher in a new era of creativity, collaboration, commerce, and education in the 10,000-square-foot basement. 

RECENT REALIGNMENTS

When West Morris Capital first arrived in Dover, actor, visual artist, and Dover native Walter F. Rodriguez was initially apprehensive. He says his decades of experience working in creative and nonprofit spheres locally and across the country exposed him to many firms “showing up in cities and towns, buying spaces, and doing community surveys to find out what local residents wanted,” only to ignore the feedback. But he was impressed that the new owners continued engaging the community and helped fund local nonprofit events. “They were who they said they were,” he says. “They kept showing up, which is rare.” That commitment prompted him to join them as The Amp’s executive director.

The team behind the overhaul, managed by West Morris Capital President Chris Murphy, is committed to creating a space that benefits the town. Renovations largely preserved the building’s original design and history, like repurposing removed wood, while adding functional updates and modern accents, including solar panels and ring-light chandeliers. Noting that most investors take the cheaper path to demolish and rebuild, Murphy says, “There’s definitely a labor-of-love element to it.” Murphy says the team updates and seeks feedback from the community online, sharing milestones like repairing a twisted steel beam in the facade, and “generates hundreds of tenant leads and ideas for the space.”

For contractors like Tad Dexter, from Home Group LLC, the work builds personal bonds into the renovations: “My mother would always buy me an ice cream sundae at Newberry’s lunch counter.”  

Dexter’s favorite space is the third-floor office once used by George Richards, the building’s creator and Dover’s first mayor. Dexter marvels at its history and surprisingly precise original construction.

“Trust me, I've been doing this for 45 years… They don't make them like they used to,” he says.

The room will soon be an event venue and media studio, with windows that give incredible views of the surrounding town, tall wood-paneled eaves, and a seamless, retractable wall. Electrician Chenoa Marion says rerouting ductwork and wiring to expose the ceiling presented hurdles. “We had to get creative with it, find different pathways than we’d usually take,” to ensure structural integrity. 

CREATIVITY ABOUNDS

Early tenants in the building reflect this creative spirit. Dover native Brianna Ochoa teaches salsa at her Bri L’Flor Dance Studio, where demand for classes skyrocketed after last year’s Bad Bunny salsa craze. “I'm talking every single culture came out,” Ochoa says of the boost in sign-ups that has continued to spike in her new, expanded space, which also allowed her to offer a greater variety of classes. 

Now, students come from as far as Pennsylvania, drawn not just to dance, but the welcoming, social atmosphere Ochoa emphasizes over competitive prowess. “We teach the real-life scenarios: little cues, tips, and tricks that they can use when they're out in real life,” she says of her approach, preparing students, “whether at prom, on vacation, or a family party.”

Tony Torres, owner of Glad Marketing, has a third-floor office in the Richards Loft that features exposed brick. The large space has enough gear for a marketing command center. Torres recalls starting his own business after working in marketing and sales jobs. “I said, ‘I'm gonna take this leap, and bet on myself,’ allowing six months to either make progress, or I’d find a new job.” He started as a West Morris Capital consultant, working from home. But he got to see the building’s evolution. 

“I remember walking past this office… and being like, ‘One day,’ right?” To Torres’s delight, that day finally came. “That brick accent? I'm just obsessed with it!” 

“Now, I can set better boundaries for myself to, you know, turn on the switch, lock in, and then leave the work [here.]” Torres is also excited about other tenants leasing nearby offices, which will promote collaboration and growth. This form of collaboration began when Bri’LaFlor gave free dance classes at The Amp this spring.

AMPLIFYING VOICES & MORE

The idea of an arts center in the Richards Building’s basement started two years ago. During Dover Art Week 2024, the Richards Building hosted a collaborative painting event, followed by a gallery exhibit during the annual arts festival. At last year’s Dover Art Week, which Rodriguez helped lead, the building’s offerings ramped up, as did artists’ ideas for the space. 

“It was like, ‘Oh, you know what? This area would be good for podcasting,” Rodriguez recalls. “‘Well, [then] why not make it a recording studio?’” A conversation pit was dug out, creating space for a three-stage performance area, and a ceramics studio was added, one of The Amp’s more unique elements. “A lot of really smart people came together and gave suggestions.”

Thanks to these group efforts, The Amp has an embarrassment of artistic riches: classrooms, gallery space, rehearsal rooms, and more. The disciplines represented are so numerous that the name ‘Amp’ comes partly from the ampersand (&), a literal symbol of connection and inclusion, and ‘amplifier,’ since it showcases and empowers the creative community. 

To that end, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority recently awarded The Amp, Morris Arts, IDEA Cultural, and the Morris County Organization for Hispanic Affairs (MCOHA) a $500,000 grant to be used for programming, including affordable art classes from MCOHA, which serves Latino and low-income communities. 

“We are excited and grateful to be able to bring affordable art classes to the residents of Dover,” says JoAnne Quattro, Executive Director of MCOHA. A recent open house featured students’ work.

In the ceramics workshop, kilns firing glazes on pots echo furnaces blasting iron in Dover’s industrial glory. The Amp provides facilities that many prospective potters attend unneeded college classes to access, but at a fraction of the cost. Ceramics Director Kaylee Gernant remarked at the inaugural gallery’s “For The Love of Art” opening event how transformative the experience has been. Gernant, who oversaw the workshop’s setup and teaches The Amp’s ceramics classes, said the experience has turned anxieties over pursuing art professionally into a feeling that it was “one of the best choices of my life.” She was particularly excited to include pieces from artist Shawn Dilzer, a contractor who actually worked on the building’s renovations. 

Beyond its solo events, The Amp has collaborated with IDEA Cultural for free performances by the band Furia and with Life Center Stage on combined open mic and gallery exhibit fusions. Life Center Stage’s first event coincided with International Social Prescribing Day, highlighting the group’s belief that “isolation is a health crisis and creative collaboration and connection is the cure,” Vicky Mulligan, executive director, says, praising the powerful impact of The Amp for creatives. Art featured in the gallery so far includes photography, painting, sculpture, and even lightbox displays, demonstrating the abundant artistry in Dover and Morris County. And local performers have thrilled audiences on the hi-tech stage. 

Enrollment for The Amp’s week-long summer camp classes, where students ages 8-12 focus on performance or visual arts, is now open. Rodriguez is driven by the promise of inspiring new generations of artists.

“It's been one of the most amazing projects I’ve gotten to be involved in,” he says.

The Amp will also host experts from beyond Dover, offering workshops and lectures from world-renowned creators in partnership with Peters Valley, one of the top craft schools in the country. “Above The Amp” will deliver culinary classes in a dual-use teaching and flex catering kitchen. Two other kitchens staffed by local restaurants will serve the retail and merchant spaces on the first floor, which will soon host farmers’ markets and pop-ups. The Richards Building’s countless features and opportunities make its potential impact on Dover near-limitless. Watch this space.

Editor’s Note: Learn more about The Amp’s offerings at theamparts.com. Follow the goings-on and available spaces at the Richards Building at richardsbuilding-dover.com.