Heart of Camden Celebrates 1811 S. Broadway Restoration

The $1.1 million, four-year restoration of the Waterfront South building was marked with a ribbon-cutting on Oct. 28.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Home Renovation

Restored red brick commercial building with a modern glass and timber rear addition under soft morning light on a quiet street. — Heart of Camden marked the completion of its $1.1 million, four-year restoration of the 1811 S. Broadway building with a ribbon-cutting on Oct. 28, 2025. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Heart of Camden celebrated the completion of the 1811 S. Broadway restoration on Oct. 28, 2025, after a four-year project that cost $1.1 million. The building now houses the IDEA Center for the Creative Arts, with Camden FireWorks' Clay Collective in a newly constructed rear addition.

Why it matters

The project shows how state tax credits and local economic development funds can be combined to bring a long-vacant former hardware store back into use in Camden. Restoring the building adds creative and therapeutic programming to the Waterfront South neighborhood.

The restoration totaled $1.1 million and was funded through four rounds of New Jersey Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit awards in 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026. Camden's Urban Enterprise Zone committed $185,000 to close a gap created by unexpected costs.

The players

Heart of Camden

A Camden nonprofit organization focused on neighborhood revitalization and community development in the city.

Camden FireWorks

A Camden-based arts organization that runs the Clay Collective and other creative programming in the city.

The details

The building, formerly E.H. Olsen Hardware, had a wall collapse during construction, which led the development team to redesign the rear addition. The IDEA Center for the Creative Arts occupies the front rooms, while the Clay Collective offers therapeutic pottery workshops for women impacted by the criminal justice system.

2022: Restoration began with state tax credit support.
February 2026: John Martin inherited the project amid the collapsed wall.
Oct. 28, 2025: Ribbon-cutting celebrated completion of 1811 S. Broadway.

Roadmap

The project relied on four separate awards from the New Jersey Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program spanning 2022 through 2026. It shows how multi-year state tax credit rounds can sustain a single restoration when construction problems add cost.

The completed building now hosts public arts programming and therapeutic pottery workshops that residents can access. The project illustrates how restored commercial buildings can add services to neighborhoods without new construction.

The takeaway

Combining state tax credits with local gap funding can keep a long restoration on track when unexpected structural problems arise. Projects like this one show how a former commercial building can be repurposed for community use.