About

The Clifton Arts Center was awarded funding from the Passaic County Historic Preservation Trust fund to upgrade and renovate the building.  The project took the better part of 2018, during which time the Arts Center was closed and programs were held in other facilities throughout the City until the building was reopened to the public on April 10, 2019.

The purpose of the renovation was to address the aging infrastructure of the building, the outdated HVAC system,  as well as other capital improvements including lighting, flooring and security.  As a result, the upgraded Arts Center is now able to host artwork from other professional art institutions as the building meets compliance requirements of these institutions.   

Project Highlights

Heating 

 A 95% efficiency condensing hot water boiler was installed which serves the three building heating zones with modulating hot water coils. An variable flow hot water pump has been installed to ensure further building energy savings. The previous boiler was an 80% efficient cast iron boiler which had exceeded its useful life and was failing. The hot water heater has been upgraded from a tank heater to a tankless high efficiency condensing heater. The high efficiency units will save energy and provide greater temperature control. 

Cooling and Ventilation 

The building has been divided into three temperature zones, the Atrium, the Multipurpose wing (Studio/Meeting Room) and the Art Gallery wing. The zones are cooled by individual high efficiency DX packaged systems with variable flow controllers to ensure building redundancy, dehumidification and precise temperature control in each space. The Art Gallery has additional features for monitoring and controlling the temperature and humidity. The Art gallery includes a hot water cool, variable speed fan motor, humidifier and controls to maintain precise control for museum art. 

Temperature Control 

A 24 hour building automation system was installed to monitor, alarm and control the temperature and humidity of the building. The new control system features included energy monitoring, temperature control, humidity control, maintenance alarms, system warnings, morning warm up, wireless remote thermostats and building zoning. The user can control the system locally on a touch screen tablet or remotely via a web interface.

Architecture 

The metal seam roof has been replaced with a new standing seam metal roof system, insulation, gutters and snow guards. The interior windows have been upgraded with a second pane insert system for greater humidity, temperature and light control. Sections of the brick has been cleaned and repointed. Doors have been replaced, weather stripped and had upgraded security hardware installed. The interior walls in the multipurpose wing (Studio/Meeting Room)  have been insulated to meet current energy standards. The original wood ceilings have been refinished. Glass doors have been installed between the interior zones. 

Aesthetics

Additional funding was received through the City of Clifton as well as fundraising efforts by Clifton Arts Center, Inc. to address needed cosmetic repairs not covered by the grant including removal of broken tile near the bathrooms and atrium. 

Photos taken during the renovation process can be seen below.