I was invited to join the “topping off” of the first “Journal Squared” residential tower this morning. The 53 story building will deliver 538 luxury rental residences and is located right by the Journal Square path train.
Well hello there Boulevard Drinks!
A few of us rode up in the elevator along with the Mayor to check out the views on the 53rd floor. All I was thinking on the way up was if I had life insurance… Good times!
The views were absolutely incredible, not only do you have the NYC skyline you can also see all of Jersey City. It’s truly incredible. I am so grateful to get these opportunities! But next time will not plan a Holiday Party the night before!! #stillnauseous
This building is part of a three-phase project that when completed will bring 1,838 rentals, 36,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and a pedestrian-friendly, public plaza to the neighborhood.
It’s also right next door to Art House Productions!
The development is creating more than 700 jobs in Jersey City and it is scheduled to be completed late 2016.
A significant community element of Journal Squared will be a new public plaza that will be built along the Magnolia Avenue entrance to the PATH station. At the heart of the plaza will be an open space courtyard lined with trees, greenery and seating to encourage pedestrian activity.
Journal Square is hot hot hot right now, I just wish they would build more aesthetically pleasing structures, the design of this building is nothing short of the brutalist architecture that proliferated blighted urban centers in the late 1960s through the end of the 1970s. This style of building ages poorly and doesn’t blend well wtih the existant neoclassical architecture or with the more recent modern additions to the area. Quarry sourced building materials such as sandstone or slate are the way to go. This engineered facade of stark white with french blue accents in alternating positions and monotonous fenestration is cartoonish and tawdry.
That façade is horrendous and the name is idiotic. Developers and architects need to take responsibility when planning a landmark building such as this. That structure will dominate the skyline for many many years, and I would prefer not to have to look at Xanadu every time I look up…