Doug Stern sits in the only air-conditioned room in an otherwise empty factory. The four- and five-story brick former Maidenform complex takes up more than three blocks along the Eastern side of Avenue E – including a massive parking lot.
A pale green room with a cream-painted tin ceiling still serves as an office, although today it is the hub where Stern plots out the redevelopment of what was once among the most important industries in the city.
Maidenform became a reality in the early 1920s after Ida Rosenthal – originally a dress maker from Hoboken – and her husband William teamed up with dress shop owner Enid Bissett to create a new brassiere. The first building had been erected between 1890 and 1912 and was occupied by a silk manufacturer, Schwarzenach-Huber Company. The Maidenform Company bought the site in 1931, and operated there until 2007, when it moved to Woodbridge, leaving its vast Bayonne facilities virtually vacant.
“Bayonne is an undiscovered gem.” – Doug Stern
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Seated in a room where many of the plant’s operations were run in the past, Stern contemplates the future, saying that he wants the 99-unit residential development he is proposing to be something more than just a place for people to come home to after work.
The site
Located within two blocks of the 22nd Street station of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, the former Maidenform site is ideal for commuters traveling out of town to jobs.
Stern, who resides in Demarest, said he looked at the building years ago, but couldn’t come to an agreement with the seller at first – something he sees as fortunate since the market declined and he would have overpaid had the original deal gone through.
He closed on the property in November 2009, and received approval from the Bayonne Planning Board last month.
Stern says he plans to preserve the exterior brickwork and large windows of the existing four stories of the building at 142-180 Avenue E and crown it with two modern-looking floors to make an “affordable luxury” building with three retail units on the ground floor. Currently, the building ranges from four to five stories, and though the Planning Board has approved Stern’s request to raise the allowable building height to six stories, he said the additional floors might not take be built right away, but as part of a later phase when market conditions allow.
Bayonne is the place to be
Stern says he was attracted to Bayonne because it has good schools, good transportation, and a good future potential. He also said the building’s history and its structure begs for a different approach to development, something that will emphasize the past, but will be firmly rooted in the future with modern amenities. More importantly, Stern says he would like the place to serve as the foundation of a neighborhood, and envisions a courtyard that will resemble a street in France where neighbors might gather and talk.
Market conditions will dictate whether the residential units will be rentals or condominiums, but Stern has already picked out a tentative name: “Silk Lofts,” to reflect the history of the place.
He said while the facility will provide modern accommodations, it will stress its past – such as leaving beams and brick exposed where possible. The building will display photographs and other icons of the site when it still operated as a manufacturer.
The project will consist of various types of units, from studios to three-bedrooms, including some live/work units for artists and possibly a gym and community room. The development also will likely include a courtyard with a water garden, trees, a brick patio, benches, and a barbecue area. The site would provide 102 parking spaces.
A 14-foot wall will be built at the back of the property to shield residents from the sounds of passing light rail trains.
Building a community
The outdoor section, which Stern envisions as a gathering place, will have water garden, barbeque, and pizza oven, possibly duplicating a street one might find in a city in France.
Stern says he is looking to build a community out of empty nesters and others who would like to be part of a community.
He said that reusing the existing structure, a process called adaptive reuse, is very “green” in an environmentally conscious world, since no energy will be expended on new brick, steel, and other materials.
Stern said depending on the market, construction could start in late 2010, with the first occupants moving in next summer.
“This is a big challenge,” he said. “But Bayonne is an undiscovered gem. It has some of the best schools and the lowest crimes, and a sense of community you can’t find in Hoboken or Jersey City.”
Salvatore Corvino of the CSR Group of Nutley, N.J., the project’s architect, estimates that about 173 people would live in the building once all units are occupied, and this would generate about $406,000 in taxes for the city.
“We want to honor the historical site of the building, both what it meant to the town and its people,” Stern said. “This building has more potential than any other site in Bayonne. There are very few buildings like it, with 12-foot ceilings and huge windows that let in a lot of light.”
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.