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Cultural Resources

400-406 Central Avenue


400-406 Central Avenue was a combined commercial/residential building developed by the Goerke Company, designed by the firm of William E. Lehman, Architect, and completed in 1912. The primary pursuit of the Goerke Company, headed by Rudolph J. Goerke of Newark, was the ownership and operation of department stores, but the company was also involved in a range of real estate and development ventures in the Newark area.  

goerke building photo The primary elevation of the Goerke Building faced Central Avenue and presented a formal Neo-Renaissance style to the busy boulevard. Modern canopies and aluminum and glass storefronts masked its first story.

The Goerke Company was a frequent client of William E. Lehman, Architect, one of the city's leading architectural firms. Lehman designed the Goerke's large flagship store on Broad Street opposite Military Park in 1924 that later became S. Klein, On the Square, a major retailer. The building was demolished in 2007 after being vacant since 1976.

goerke building photo
goerke building photo
Two views of the razed Goerke Building detailed the upper floors of the northwest corner and a section of the Central Avenue façade, which included cast stone Ionic pilasters, a complex metal cornice, an ornate frieze, and several square metal column extensions that project above the roofline. Boards obscured the view of the intersection from the wood, one-over-one sash windows.
   
architectural rendering

architectural rendering
Architectural drawings of the eastern and northern elevations of the Goerke building at 400-406 Central Avenue were done by the prominent William E. Lehman design firm. They are from the Collections of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey.
 
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  Last Updated:  December 4, 2007