Demolition continued last week on the former artists’ building at 137-year-old 111 First St., in order to possibly replace the 137-year-old brick and wood structure with a 1.2 million square foot condominium/hotel complex.
Designs for the potential development, touted as a “vertical city,” were unveiled at a presentation on Monday at the Jersey City Museum.
The intended result would be a 52-story building with condominiums, a hotel, artists’ lofts, a gallery, retail space, and parking.
The project is only in the proposal stage, as it will not go before the Planning Board for at least another year to seek approval.
The project’s Dutch architect, the world renowned Rem Koolhaas, attended the presentation to discuss what some say would be the city’s most radically designed structure.
The centerpiece of the project would be a 52-story tower made up of three rectangular blocks stacked perpendicular to one another and perched atop a structural base.
The design would also incorporate terraces and open spaces.
City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis, the opening speaker at Monday’s presentation, hailed the design as a “piece of art in and of itself, a 600-foot tall sculpture.”The new look
The developers of the project are BLDG Management, run by billionaire Lloyd Goldman, who owns 111 First St., along with the Athena Group. The Athena Group is the developer of the A Condominiums, currently under construction across the street from the 111 First St. site. That project is a $110-million, 33-story tower with 250 residential condos, 10,500 square feet of retail space, and a 238-space parking garage.
At 111 First St., according to officials from BLDG and the Athena Group, about 415,000 square feet will be set aside for apartments, 210,000 square feet for the hotel, and 160,000 square feet for studios.
The complex will encompass an entire block that covers First Street to the north, Washington Boulevard to the east, Bay Street to the south, and Warren Street to the west.
The structural base of the building, known as a plinth, will have the retail space, parking, and gallery. The condos will be built above the plinth.
There are also three open-space terraces planned for the project: the 56,000 square-foot 111 First St. public terrace to be located on the fifth floor, terraces for the 17th floor accommodating a hotel restaurant and a spa, and two terraces for residents on the 36th floor.
Representatives for Athena Group of New York said most of the condos will be priced from $500,000 to $1 million. Lower cost
The 117 proposed affordable housing units and 120 less expensive spaces for artists’ studios and lofts are included as part of a legal settlement that was reached between the city of Jersey City and the owner 111 First St.
Another condition of the settlement included hiring a world-class architect (such as Koolhaas) and using the bricks from the currently demolished structure for the new project.
The structure being demolished was originally a tobacco factory. Building blocks or cutting edge?
City officials said at first glance, the conceptual design for 111 First St. looked like “building blocks” and a “Rubik’s Cube.”
One official was concerned that such a building would “blow over on a bad storm,” but the developers and architect assured that a central core inside the building would hold it in place.
However, City Planner Bob Cotter praised the proposed structure as being the “most cutting-edge piece of architecture I have seen in my career.” He said it would make Jersey City a worldwide destination.
“This building is the one that I believe people will come to Jersey City to see,” said Cotter. “They will come here from around the world to see this architecture.”
During the presentation, Koolhaas defended the radical design, saying, “The time has come to do a building that’s less than typical. Although the shape is different from what is happening in New Jersey, we think the facade will not be so [overpowering] and will merge with the environment.”
The building’s design definitely leaped out at Mayor Jerramiah Healy.
“This structure is going to be different from anything that we have seen here,” said Healy. “This is another step in the ongoing transformation and revitalization of Jersey City.”
Goldman said the design “stood out” amongst four designs that Koolhaas submitted.
Louis Dubin of the Athena Group said the design was “cool.” What led to the project?
The proposed building will replace the old P. Lorillard Co. tobacco factory, built in the 1870s, which, for several years, was part of a legal dispute involving the artists living there, the city, and the building’s owner.
The building was used for 20 years by artists as workspace, but the property became more and more valuable as Jersey City’s downtown area near the waterfront built up.
Several years ago, the owner began raising the rents in the building, which the artists protested.
Once the owner succeeded in legally evicting the artists, he had to fight to be able to demolish the historic building so he could build new housing. The city wanted to include the building in a special arts district.
After a series of legal exchanges with the city, the city came to a settlement with Goldman in the summer 2006 to avoid a $100 million lawsuit. The building was placed in a special zone, and Goldman was allowed to build. Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com