Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
New Brunswick native John A. Lynch, Jr. served as mayor of New Brunswick from 1979 to 1991 and New Jersey State Senator from 1982 to 2002. In the interview, Lynch discusses the coming together of corporate America, academia, government and the public to promote redevelopment in New Brunswick. He credits the vision of Richard Sellars and the commitment of Johnson & Johnson in the process. As for Rutgers, Lynch talks about the establishment of the Mason Gross School downtown and the bookstore in the Ferren Parking Deck and explores how state politics affected the Mason Gross and Bloustein schools. After a change in leadership, Middlesex Hospital evolved into Robert Wood Johnson and impacted New Brunswick in a variety of positive ways. The Hyatt Hotel received an Urban Development Action Grant to finance its construction. Lynch delves into the financing and development of the theater district. Other topics addressed include the Parking Authority, the Route 18 extension, historic preservation, Hiram Market, the Easton Avenue Apartments, payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), eminent domain, the Memorial Homes housing project and missed opportunities.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives is part of the Department of History at Rutgers University. Learn more at https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-redevelopment-oral-histories
New Brunswick native John A. Lynch, Jr. served as mayor of New Brunswick from 1979 to 1991 and New Jersey State Senator from 1982 to 2002. In the interview, Lynch discusses the coming together of corporate America, academia, government and the public to promote redevelopment in New Brunswick. He credits the vision of Richard Sellars and the commitment of Johnson & Johnson in the process. As for Rutgers, Lynch talks about the establishment of the Mason Gross School downtown and the bookstore in the Ferren Parking Deck and explores how state politics affected the Mason Gross and Bloustein schools. After a change in leadership, Middlesex Hospital evolved into Robert Wood Johnson and impacted New Brunswick in a variety of positive ways. The Hyatt Hotel received an Urban Development Action Grant to finance its construction. Lynch delves into the financing and development of the theater district. Other topics addressed include the Parking Authority, the Route 18 extension, historic preservation, Hiram Market, the Easton Avenue Apartments, payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), eminent domain, the Memorial Homes housing project and missed opportunities.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives is part of the Department of History at Rutgers University. Learn more at https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-redevelopment-oral-histories
