When Hudson County Community College (HCCC) first looked at the property on Sip Avenue back in 2000 as a possible new library site, few could foresee how significant a role it would play in revitalizing the historic business center of Jersey City.
Journal Square had deteriorated and few companies were yet willing to invest in this part of the city, preferring downtown and the waterfront.
The ribbon-cutting ceremonies on Sept. 29 took place inside the six-story, multifunctional structure, which is located at 71 Sip Ave. on the College’s Journal Square Campus in Jersey City. The 112,000 square-foot building is just steps away from the Journal Square PATH Transit Station.
Rep. Albio Sires, Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, State Sen. Sandra Cunningham, and other elected officials and community leaders attended.
Dr. Glen Gabert, President of HCCC, said the Library Building was designed to promote knowledge and learning and a sense of community for students, faculty, staff, and all who live and work in Hudson County. The facility will eventually be opened to the general public for events, said HCCC Board of Trustees Chair William J. Netchert.
“This is a game changer for Journal Square and for the college.” – Dr. Glen Gabert
____________
“We invested here,” said he said, just prior to cutting the ribbon on what amounts to a nearly $30 million project.
Kickstarting the Square back to health
The library, along with the Culinary Institute building nearby, have become the cornerstones of a new and emerging Journal Square, the first significant new construction coming just ahead of a number of large residential and retail developments.
“This is a game changer for Journal Square and for the college,” Dr. Gabert said. “We’re on the brink of becoming the premier urban college in the state.”
Two years ago, the project broke ground. The cost was slated at $26 million, but adding the cost of the land and inflation the total was more like $36 million, he said.
Of the college’s 9,000 students the new building accommodates about 3,000, eliminating the time limits required in the old library. Also there will be a book store. He said a third building; a science building dedicated to STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is slated to open in 2017.
“Undertaking a project of this magnitude requires the support and cooperation of our elected officials, the college’s team of trustees, administrators, faculty and staff, and most especially, our neighbors in the community,” said Netchert.
Netchert said taking the property off the tax rolls will be compensated for because other property that had been used by the college will be sold off for private development. He credited the county executive, the freeholders, and Rep. Sires with helping to make the project possible.
The county found money to pay for school improvements, and Sires when he was speaker of the state Assembly pushed through a $200 million bond issue that helped pay for projects like this. Then-Gov. Jim McGreevey also supported the bond.
Sires said he was very impressed with HCCC’s growth from 2,000 students slightly more than a decade ago to 9,000. Sires said HCCC – a two year college – serves as a feeder to St. Peter’s University, which is a four year college.
Cunningham said students need a library like this. HCCC builds lives, she said, and is an entrance to a bigger world. Cunningham supports the college through legislation and through contributions from the Glenn and Sandra Cunningham Foundation.
“HCCC’s outstanding new library complex is the latest example of our willingness as a county to make these kinds of vital investments,” said Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, “not just for students today but for the success of our economy tomorrow.”
DeGise, a strong advocate for the college as county executive, said he liked the idea that the library did not abandon books in favor of digital technology.
“There will be 39,000 books here,” he said. “It’s nice to know if someone wanted to pick up a copy of Tom Sawyer, they still can.”
A building designed to enrich the mind
The building’s first two stories with 33,500 square feet are the library, and include a meditation room, three group-study rooms, and more than 70 computer stations.
Floors three through five house 33 traditional classrooms, computer labs, tiered lecture halls, and 21 office stations. There is a gallery on the sixth floor named for Benjamin J. Dineen, III and Dennis C. Hull, who presented the college with an historic gift of more than 230 works of art. There is also an exhibit space, three classrooms, and a roof terrace.
On the sixth-floor roof terrace is the college’s 9/11 monument, a piece of steel that was once part of the World Trade Center. The trustees commissioned artist Billy Economou to design and craft its polished base. Art from the HCCC Foundation Art Collection will be installed throughout the building.
Construction began in November 2012, and the “topping-out” ceremony was held in April 2013. The building was designed by NK Architects, and includes a number of sustainable materials and features.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.