Rutgers—Camden to create campus facility using historic district

Rutgers—Camden will be undertaking a construction project to add new building spaces for the campus and community with the Cooper Street Gateway Project. 

The Cooper Street Gateway Project will use historic buildings with new constructions as well as a new building in the Cooper Street district to create additional spaces for Rutgers and the surrounding Camden community.

The new building will be a three-story entrance facility to the Cooper Street Gateway Project area. It will house the Rutgers—Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences and have community and event spaces, said Susan Ryan, project architect and historic architect at Rutgers—Camden.

Cooper Street, located from Second to Seventh Streets, is registered as a historic district on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1765, Cooper Street was constructed to connect southern New Jersey with the ferries that would cross into Philadelphia. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Cooper Street's importance grew, and it became "Camden's most fashionable address," said Charlene Mires, a retired history professor at Rutgers—Camden.

Many of the residential buildings in the Cooper Street historic district are now owned by Rutgers—Camden and are used for University purposes, such as research or office space. Specific building histories, as well as information about many of the former residents, can be found in the "Learning from Cooper Street" digital database, a collection of research conducted by students and Mires.

The new project will restore the exterior facades of historic buildings deemed contributions to the historic district, said Ryan.

The project is preserving houses on the 400 block of Cooper and Lawrence Street. These are historically significant, as they were working-class rental properties and show how Camden has developed since the 19th century.

"This block is an important record of the growth of Camden," said Mires.

Construction on the project is set to begin in early 2025, said Ryan. Residents can expect to see preservative work being done on the existing building facades. Two garages on Lawrence Street that are not considered contributions to the historic district will be demolished for the project, said Ryan.

Using old buildings rather than new constructions presents some challenges, but reusing buildings that already exist is more environmentally conscious and helps preserve location-centric historical context.

"We want to enliven the street. I think we want to be good neighbors and engage the community — welcome them to use the building just like Rutgers—Camden students," said Ryan.