18 May ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES PLANS TO CONSTRUCT NEW FAMILY COURTS BUILDING IN NEWARK AND NAME IT AFTER THE LATE NJ STATE SENATOR WYNONA LIPMAN The “Essex County Wynona Lipman Family Courts Building” will replace the Court Facility in the Wilentz Building
Published on May 18, 2023
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. outlined plans to construct a new eight-story building on Branford Place in Newark for the Family Court Division of the Essex Vicinage of State Superior Court. He also is recommending that the building be named as the “Essex County Wynona Lipman Family Courts Building” in honor of the late NJ State Senator Wynona Lipman.
“Families and children coming to Family Court can be facing some of the most difficult and challenging times of their lives. It is important that we provide spaces where they can feel safe and comfortable and be treated with dignity and respect,” DiVincenzo said. “I appreciate the great relationship we have enjoyed with Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, Judge Glenn Grant and Assignment Judge Sheila Venable. Our partnership has enabled us to provide judges, jury members, employees and all those coming to court with state-of-the-art facilities that meet our current needs,” he added.
“Wynona Lipman was trailblazer in Trenton where she was a tireless advocate for women, families, children and the less fortunate. Much of the legislation she sponsored provided the strongest protections at the time and laid the foundation for our current laws,” the County Executive said. “Even though she passed away over two decades ago, Senator Lipman is still recognized as a champion. Naming this facility in her honor will keep her legacy alive, inspire others to follow in her footsteps and provide hope to all those going through troubled times who visit our building,” he added.
“Wynona Lipman represented families and people who were struggling. Through our partnerships with the County, we are able to improve upon their lives,” said Judge Glenn Grant, Administrative Director of NJ Courts.
“When families enter this new building, they will feel uplifted. When all three branches of government work together, these are the type of things we can accomplish for our residents,” Essex County Assignment Judge Sheila Venable.
“This is another groundbreaking for another great project,” Commissioner Wayne Richardson said. “I want to thank the County Executive for thinking so much about Wynona Lipman to name a building in her honor,” Commissioner Patricia Sebold said.
“For the average person, the way a building looks puts them into a frame of mind. And when people walk into this new building, they will know it is a place where they will be treated fairly and receive justice,” Prosecutor Ted Stephens said.
“I am thankful that we are going to have this new building. After Joe completed the construction of the Correctional Facility, I have never questioned his resolve to complete a project on time,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.
“Wynona Lipman always was fighting for children, women and those who could not fight for themselves. Even from her deathbed, she carried on this work. This is a great way to reminder everyone of her legacy,” said Gale Britton, President and Chairwoman of the Wynona’s House Board of Trustees.
“When Joe dreams of construction projects, we are in his dreams because the construction trades always provide professional outcomes because of our hardworking men and women,” said Lino Santiago, President of the Essex County Building Trades Union.
The new 267,000-square-foot building is being constructed on the parking lot on Branford Place between Washington Street and University Avenue. The lot was formerly used by employees at the Essex County Division of Family Assistance and Benefits. There will be 22 courtrooms in the building, which includes 19 courtrooms for Family Court and three Children-in-Court Courtrooms. There also are five hearing rooms, four mediation rooms and 18 interview rooms, waiting rooms with child play areas for child support, space for a Domestic Violence Unit and Non-Dissolution, and offices for the Prosecutor’s Office, interpreters and Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA).
Born in Georgia, Wynona Lipman didn’t begin her political career until she relocated to Montclair. She served as a Democratic Committee member and Town Chairwoman before being elected as an Essex County Freeholder in 1968 and becoming President of the Board in 1971. Instead of seeking re-election to county office, Ms. Lipman successfully ran for NJ State Senate and represented the 29th Legislative District for 27 years before she passed away in office in 1999.
Senator Lipman was a trailblazer in New Jersey politics, becoming the first African American woman to serve in the NJ State Senate and for many years was the only woman to be a member of that legislative body. She earned the nickname of “Steel Magnolia” because of her tenacity to get legislation passed without compromising her courteous demeanor.
She concentrated her attention on passing legislation to improving the lives and interests of women, children, families, small businesses and minorities. In 1978, she sponsored legislation to create the Commission on Sex Discrimination in the Statutes and became chair of the commission when it was signed into law. The commission modernized New Jersey statutes that contained sex-based classifications and helped initiate legislation to eliminate inequities. It took on a number of wide-ranging issues including employment discrimination, marriage laws, child support, the rights of children, sexual assault and domestic violence. Other notable legislation sponsored by Ms. Lipman were the Prevention of Domestic Violence Acts of 1981 and 1991, which at the time were the toughest domestic violence laws in the country, as well as legislation supporting family leave, pay equity and child support enforcement, which serve as the foundation for current laws.
The Family Courts currently are located in the Wilentz Building at 212 Washington Street in Newark. Essex County moved the Family Courts into the building in the 1990s. Essex County is selling its share in the Wilentz Building because the new owners have plans to redevelop the site for different uses. The owners have agreed to pay off the remaining debt that Essex County has on the building.
Comito Associates from Newark received a professional services contract for $4.6 million to design the building. Dobco Inc. from Wayne was awarded a publicly bid contract for $172.6 million to construct the building. Financing for the Family Courts Building is being provided through the Essex County Improvement Authority. It is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Essex County has partnered with the Essex Vicinage of the Superior Court on many projects to update court facilities including the rehabilitation of the Historic Essex County Courthouse, the construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building, modernization and relocation of Landlord-Tenant Court to the second floor of the Hall of Records, and modernization of the Jury Management and Grand Jury Management Rooms. Essex County also has worked with the State Court to provide Appellate Court Judges’ chambers in the Essex County LeRoy F. Smith, Jr. Public Safety Building.