As Barbra Streisand famously sang, “A house is not a home when there’s no one there.” In this issue, we look at two homes that get their character and charm from the wonderful young families living in them. Enjoy your brief stay with these folks, who represent the new Bayonne.
UPTOWN
It’s not unusual when putting together a city magazine to have folks pop up in more than one story. That’s what happened when we talked to David and Pamela Leto, who are bringing up their two boys in a neat uptown house. David and his brother Gregg, both drummers, make an appearance on page 50 in our story about Bayonne’s music scene. He works as an event producer in New York City.
Pamela, who works as a music publicist in New York City, says, “Our style tends toward mid-century modern furnishings. We have two little boys and didn’t want to spend on the interior until they were older.” She describes the style as “vintage and IKEA.”
When the time comes, Pamela has some favorite designers. Among them, Jean Prouvé, who used manufacturing technology in his designs, and Eero Saarinen, famous for his tulip chair. “I love him, and bought the IKEA version at a fraction of the cost,” Pamela says. They also have a shag rug.
The house was built in1920. Pamela describes it as “very cozy, and I mean cozy.” It has three bedrooms, wood floors, and a vintage kitchen that they did not change, meaning they maintained the avocado-green color scheme. They also kept the blue-and-white tiles in the back room.
Families with kids love backyards, and this house has a nice one.
The Letos have lived in the house for about three years. David is a Jersey City native, and Pamela is from Tenafly. Bayonne turned out to be the perfect place to buy a house. They are very lucky to have David’s parents living close by in Country Village, so they can watch the kids and pick them up from school. Gregg Leto also lives nearby with his wife and kids.
“It’s close to New York, it’s affordable and safe,” Pamela says. One of the boys, Casey, is in third grade, and the other, Nash, is in kindergarten. “It’s a multicultural city,” she says. “Every culture is represented in school classes. I love that about Bayonne.”
The Letos also visit bars and restaurants in town, including Lot13 and Otaiko Hibachi and Sushi Lounge.
Not all houses have a focal point, but this one does, and it’s really cool: a 1969 Rowe Music Master jukebox.
“My husband and I are both avid music collectors and fans,” Pamela says. “We were looking on Craigslist, and it came fully stocked with 45s. It has everything from David Bowie to ‘96 Tears,’ Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’s ‘I Put a Spell on You,’ and Elvis. Elvis has to be there. The kids love it. They’re learning about good music. We play it all the time. It’s smack dab in our living room—the centerpiece.”
Pamela played the drums when she lived in San Francisco but now describes herself as a “behind-the-scenes music gal.”
The Letos plan to stay put for the time being. Says Pamela, “It’s perfect, a great starter house.”
AVENUE C
Photographer Victor M. Rodriguez and I visited the Galano/Lotter household on a Saturday morning, and we felt really privileged to be allowed into their home as they were getting 10-month-old twin boys up and ready to roll. The moms call it the “messy baby hour,” but Julian and Luca are adorable and seemed to really enjoy their time in the spotlight: no tears, all smiles.
Gwenn and Lisa also have a Boston terrier named Nietzsche, and each mom holds down two jobs. How do they do it all? “We’re women!” Gwenn says. “That’s our job.”
Their house is one of four historic rowhouses on the block, built in 1908. They’ve lived there about two and half years. They certainly didn’t have time for remodeling, so it was pretty much ready for prime time when they moved in.
The front door opens onto the living room. One of its most distinguishing features is an antique mahogany mantel, which they refurbished to fit their decor. The kitchen is an open plan, from which you can access a deck and the backyard. There is also a half bath on the first floor.
While we were there, a young woman popped her head in the door. The nanny! The perfect feature for a house with two small kids is a downstairs apartment for the nanny. It’s a charming space with an eat-in kitchen, living room, bath, and separate bedroom.
A beautiful blond wood staircase leads to the second floor, where there are three bedrooms and a full bath. The boys’ room has two cribs. Over each one is a framed initial, J for Julian and L for Luca.
Lisa and Gwenn are both teachers and realtors. Lisa teaches middle-school science at Public School 38, James F. Murray, in Jersey City, and Gwenn teaches high-school math at Bergen County Technical Schools in Teterboro. They both work for Coldwell Banker as part of The Grisselle Martinez Group, with Grisselle Martinez out of the Hoboken office, which keeps them in touch with real-estate trends.
They’re seeing more young people and babies in Bayonne. The say they often get clients who like Hoboken or downtown Jersey City but can’t afford to live there. Given a gentle nudge toward Bayonne, these clients are often pleasantly surprised by what they find here. Lisa points to Silk Lofts and the Montrachet, a funeral home that has been converted to a condo building.
“Bayonne is well-located for our jobs,” Lisa says. Gwenn and Lisa met when they were working in New York. Gwenn, an Indiana native, used to commute all the way to the South Bronx, where she taught at the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists. Lisa, a graduate of Holy Family Academy in Bayonne, has a brother, Damon, who is a Bayonne detective.
Lisa and Gwenn frequent many of Bayonne’s eateries, including The DaVinci Room and CJ’s Gourmet Italian Ices, a new find that the kids really enjoyed during the summer.
“It’s affordable here,” says Lisa. “It fills our needs, we like our neighbors, it’s a good community, and no place fits better yet.”—BLP