Rem's Tower of Jersey City

Demolition of the old tobacco factory on First Street in the Powerhouse Arts District, Jersey City. April 26, 2007

On this site a tower designed by Rem Koolhaas’ OMA will be built. A mega project: 52 stories tall, 1.2 million square feet, 330 apartments, 252 hotel rooms, 40 loft apartments, and 120 artist live/work spaces.

An article in the New York Times, April 12, raised my curiousity. It featured a “kind of wild” new tower designed by Rem Koolhaas to be built in Jersey City. Why on earth would Rem Koolhaas, somebody I associate with hip and happening in architecture and urban design, be interested in Jersey City?

The rapidly changing skyline of Jersey City across the Hudson is the backdrop of my West Village home base. I see it every day, but never had a reason to actually go there. Even though the PATH train –it takes less than 10 minutes—stops right at my doorstep.

So, I went and checked it out. And, of course, Rem is right. Jersey City is very much happening.

Construction going on everywhere you look. A total mishmosh of buildings. Old and new, up and down scale, high and low architecture. The gloomy carcass of the Victorian-era power house at Washington Street. A chain hotel like the ones planted along the highway all over the US. Old factories and warehouses that house local artists. A newly constructed “loft building” with totally out of place dark mirror glass windows. Another generic Trump Tower going up right next to the proposed “hanging tower” of Rem Koolhaas.

Jersey City is happening. But is it hip as well? That remains to be seen.

Rem’s tower will replace the abandoned tobacco factory that was home to hunderds of artists. One can only hope that the remaining old factories and warehouses will be saved and that the couleur locale is not completely lost. The proposed conversion of the power plant into an arts center and creation of a sculpture garden is a critical piece for insuring Remthe survival of the Powerhouse Arts District in the midst of the Jersey City building frenzy.