The Beacon Jersey City
Encyclopedia
Beacon is a new mixed-use development
emerging from the historic restoration
of the original complex of the Jersey City Medical Center
. It is located on a 14 acres (56,656 m²) site on Bergen Hill
, a crest of the Hudson Palisades and one of the highest geographical points in Jersey City, New Jersey
. It creates the northeastern corner the Bergen Lafayette Section
and is just east of McGinley Square
. It will include two million square feet of residential and retail space, approximately 1,200 luxury residences and 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) of retail space.
. This building is now the Medical Center building. It was renamed the Jersey City Hospital in 1885 and had expanded to 200 beds. In 1909, the original hospital building was reserved for men and a second wing was added for women. When Frank Hague
became mayor of Jersey City in 1917, he planned to expand the hospital. He had the original building renovated and constructed a new 23-story structure for surgery, known as The Orpheum. The new facility opened in 1931, and George O'Hanlon was the first director.
During the Great Depression
, new buildings were added as a Works Progress Administration
project secured by Mayor Frank Hague
, The Jersey City Medical Center included such architectural and designer trappings as marble
walls, terrazzo
floors, etched glass
, decorative moldings
and glittering chandelier
s, and had one of the most famous maternity wards in the country – the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital http://www.njcu.edu/programs/jchistory/Pages/M_Pages/Margaret_Hague_Maternity_Hospital.htm. The formal dedication of the Medical Center Complex, the B. S. Pollack Hospital, was on October 2, 1936, with Franklin D. Roosevelt
dedicating the building. During the 1950s, JCMC was the home of the medical school of Seton Hall University
, which later became the New Jersey Medical School
, now located in Newark
. Oversized and understaffed, the complex closed down in 1988, and the hospital and offices moved to a new complex in 2004. Prior to that, one building of the complex, 591 Montgomery Street had been converted for senior assisted-living
residence.
Metrovest Equities was designated the redeveloper of the property in 2003 and officially closed on it in 2005. The developer is converting the ten federally landmarked, Art Deco
buildings in the largest residential restoration project in the country and the largest in the history of New Jersey, with an expected cost estimated at $350
million.
and National Register of Historic Places
, and are the largest concentration of Art Deco
buildings in the state. Unlike other proposals which had called for the demolition of the buildings, Metrovest intends to restore them to their original glory while simultaneously creating a viable new use using a team of craftsmen and historic preservationists to execute the restoration, which is being performed under the Secretary of Interior’s Guidelines for Historic Rehabilitation. This includes rebuilding and restoring the buildings’ entire façades using the strictest of methods and materials, and restoring the protected interior spaces.
Painstaking efforts to re-establish the historic grandeur and character of the interior spaces included refurbishing original chandeliers, plaster, decorative painting, marble, elevator door surrounds and windows that are being gilded with gold leafs. Former Art Deco theaters, lobbies, public corridors, executive offices and meeting rooms were restored, with many of the spaces converted to an elaborate amenity offering for Beacon residents, including Mayor Hague's former office which now serves as a poker room.
residences, joined by a two-story lobby and a 45000 square feet (4,180.6 m²) amenity core which features an indoor pool, spa
, screening room, and a children's playroom. On its second floor restored theater/event space with catering kitchen and a rooftop sundeck. Other restored spaces include a poker
room, reading gallery and a billiards
hall. Eight additional buildings will be converted to residential and retail use. The next residential phase will open in 2010. Called The Mercury, the building will offer larger work/live spaces from 3,000 to 6000 square feet (557.4 m²). There will also be a rooftop bar/restaurant, town center with retail shops and a gourmet market, a Pre-K early childhood learning and daycare facility, an Art Deco Indy Movie Theater and an art gallery.
-directed Quiz Show starring John Turturro
and Stanley Tucci
’s The Impostors
.
Richard Price
1992 novel
, Clockers, makes a thinly veiled reference to the abandoned Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital on Clifton Place. A "chronicler of Hudson County's underbelly", Price describes how drug addicts stripped the hospital interior of artifacts to be sold for scrap.
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
emerging from the historic restoration
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
of the original complex of the Jersey City Medical Center
Jersey City Medical Center
The Jersey City Medical Center is a hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey. The hospital has had different facilities in the city.-History:The hospital began as the "Charity Hospital" but the Board of Aldermen of Jersey City bought land at Baldwin Avenue and Montgomery Street in 1882 for a new hospital...
. It is located on a 14 acres (56,656 m²) site on Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
, a crest of the Hudson Palisades and one of the highest geographical points in Jersey City, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. It creates the northeastern corner the Bergen Lafayette Section
Bergen-Lafayette, Jersey City
Bergen-Lafayette is a section of Jersey City, New Jersey.As its name implies, Bergen-Lafayette is made of different neighborhoods. It lies west-southwest of Downtown and Liberty State Park...
and is just east of McGinley Square
McGinley Square
McGinley Square is in Jersey City, New Jersey, located near the middle of the city, south of Journal Square. The square itself is at the intersection of two of the city's major thoroughfares, Montgomery Street , and Bergen Avenue .The area was named after Monsignor Roger...
. It will include two million square feet of residential and retail space, approximately 1,200 luxury residences and 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) of retail space.
History
The hospital began as the "Charity Hospital" by the Board of Aldermen of Jersey City who bought land at Baldwin Avenue and Montgomery Street in 1882 for a new hospital. The locale was chosen to remove the hospital from the industrial development at Paulus HookPaulus Hook, Jersey City
Paulus Hook is a community on the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City, New Jersey, located one mile across the river from Manhattan. The name Hook comes from the Dutch word "hoeck" which translates into "point of land." This "point of land" has been described as an elevated area, the location...
. This building is now the Medical Center building. It was renamed the Jersey City Hospital in 1885 and had expanded to 200 beds. In 1909, the original hospital building was reserved for men and a second wing was added for women. When Frank Hague
Frank Hague
Frank Hague was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jersey from 1922 until 1949, and Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1924 until 1949.Hague has a widely-known...
became mayor of Jersey City in 1917, he planned to expand the hospital. He had the original building renovated and constructed a new 23-story structure for surgery, known as The Orpheum. The new facility opened in 1931, and George O'Hanlon was the first director.
During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, new buildings were added as a Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
project secured by Mayor Frank Hague
Frank Hague
Frank Hague was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jersey from 1922 until 1949, and Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1924 until 1949.Hague has a widely-known...
, The Jersey City Medical Center included such architectural and designer trappings as marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
walls, terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
floors, etched glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, decorative moldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
and glittering chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s, and had one of the most famous maternity wards in the country – the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital http://www.njcu.edu/programs/jchistory/Pages/M_Pages/Margaret_Hague_Maternity_Hospital.htm. The formal dedication of the Medical Center Complex, the B. S. Pollack Hospital, was on October 2, 1936, with Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
dedicating the building. During the 1950s, JCMC was the home of the medical school of Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
, which later became the New Jersey Medical School
New Jersey Medical School
New Jersey Medical School is one of eight schools that comprise the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey . NJMS is the oldest school of medicine in New Jersey, predating its broader parent institution, UMDNJ, by 16 years...
, now located in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. Oversized and understaffed, the complex closed down in 1988, and the hospital and offices moved to a new complex in 2004. Prior to that, one building of the complex, 591 Montgomery Street had been converted for senior assisted-living
Assisted living
Assisted living residences or assisted living facilities provide supervision or assistance with activities of daily living ; coordination of services by outside health care providers; and monitoring of resident activities to help to ensure their health, safety, and well-being.Assistance may...
residence.
Metrovest Equities was designated the redeveloper of the property in 2003 and officially closed on it in 2005. The developer is converting the ten federally landmarked, Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
buildings in the largest residential restoration project in the country and the largest in the history of New Jersey, with an expected cost estimated at $350
million.
Use of existing infrastructure and restoration
Restoration of The Beacon represents a massive recycling and adaptive reuse effort. The existing buildings are listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic PlacesNew Jersey Register of Historic Places
The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the Historic Preservation Office of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.The register was...
and National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and are the largest concentration of Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
buildings in the state. Unlike other proposals which had called for the demolition of the buildings, Metrovest intends to restore them to their original glory while simultaneously creating a viable new use using a team of craftsmen and historic preservationists to execute the restoration, which is being performed under the Secretary of Interior’s Guidelines for Historic Rehabilitation. This includes rebuilding and restoring the buildings’ entire façades using the strictest of methods and materials, and restoring the protected interior spaces.
Painstaking efforts to re-establish the historic grandeur and character of the interior spaces included refurbishing original chandeliers, plaster, decorative painting, marble, elevator door surrounds and windows that are being gilded with gold leafs. Former Art Deco theaters, lobbies, public corridors, executive offices and meeting rooms were restored, with many of the spaces converted to an elaborate amenity offering for Beacon residents, including Mayor Hague's former office which now serves as a poker room.
Conversion
One building of the complex at 591 Montgomery Street had been converted for senior assisted-living residence before Metrovest's involvement. The company completed the conversion of the first two buildings was in 2008. Named The Rialto and Capital after famous theaters, the buildings contain 315 condominiumCondominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
residences, joined by a two-story lobby and a 45000 square feet (4,180.6 m²) amenity core which features an indoor pool, spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
, screening room, and a children's playroom. On its second floor restored theater/event space with catering kitchen and a rooftop sundeck. Other restored spaces include a poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
room, reading gallery and a billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
hall. Eight additional buildings will be converted to residential and retail use. The next residential phase will open in 2010. Called The Mercury, the building will offer larger work/live spaces from 3,000 to 6000 square feet (557.4 m²). There will also be a rooftop bar/restaurant, town center with retail shops and a gourmet market, a Pre-K early childhood learning and daycare facility, an Art Deco Indy Movie Theater and an art gallery.
Pop culture
The Beacon’s existing buildings, particularly the former nurses's residence Murdoch Hall, have often been used for filming movies, TV commercials and music videos, including the Robert RedfordRobert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
-directed Quiz Show starring John Turturro
John Turturro
John Michael Turturro is an American actor, writer and director known for his roles in the films Do the Right Thing , Miller's Crossing , Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the Transformers film series...
and Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He has been nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in The Lovely Bones...
’s The Impostors
The Impostors
The Impostors is a 1998 farce motion picture written and directed by Stanley Tucci, starring Oliver Platt, Stanley Tucci, Alfred Molina, Tony Shalhoub, Steve Buscemi, and Billy Connolly....
.
Richard Price
Richard Price (writer)
Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers and Clockers.-Early life:...
1992 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, Clockers, makes a thinly veiled reference to the abandoned Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital on Clifton Place. A "chronicler of Hudson County's underbelly", Price describes how drug addicts stripped the hospital interior of artifacts to be sold for scrap.
See also
- List of neighborhoods in Jersey City, New Jersey
- List of Registered Historic Places in Hudson County, New Jersey
- Historic districts in Hudson County, New JerseyHistoric Districts in Hudson County, New JerseyHudson County, New Jersey has historic districts which have been designated as such on a municipal, state, or federal level, or combination therof. Some are listed on New Jersey Register of Historic Places and are included on National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey...