Downtown Jersey City

View of Downtown Jersey City from Liberty State Park
View of Downtown focused around the Goldman Sachs Tower

Downtown is an area of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, which includes the Historic Downtown and the Waterfront. Historic Downtown can be further broken down into the neighborhoods of Harsimus Cove, The Village, Van Vorst Park, Grove Street, Hamilton Park and Boyle Plaza. The Waterfront includes the Powerhouse Arts District/WALDO Pavonia/Newport neighborhood, the Harborside Financial Center and Paulus Hook (including Exchange Place). Historic Downtown is the area west of Marin Boulevard, while the Waterfront lies to the east.

Historic Downtown was an area of mostly low-rise buildings to the west of the waterfront—but that is rapidly changing. It includes the neighborhoods of Van Vorst Park and Hamilton Park, which are square parks surrounded by brownstones. The Grove Street neighborhood has also seen a lot of development and the neighborhood is rich with stores and restaurants[1] that cater to the diverse backgrounds of Jersey City's inhabitants. The Grove Street PATH station is in the process of being rebuilt and a number of new housing is being built around the stop. Historic Downtown is home to many cultural attractions including the Jersey City Museum, the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse (planned to become a museum and artist housing) and the Harsimus Stem Embankment along Sixth Street, which a citizens' movement is working to turn into public parkland.

Lower Manhattan (left) and Jersey City (right) skylines, viewed from the Hudson River

Like Historic Downtown, the Waterfront of Jersey City is an area rich in history and full of current development. It is the location of the end of the Morris Canal and there is still a segment of this basin surrounded by Liberty State Park. The giant Colgate Clock, next to the Goldman Sachs Tower reminds people of the industry that used to line the Hudson River on New Jersey's Coast. Many of the names of Jersey City's downtown neighborhoods come from Dutch words or Dutch names from the early inhabitants along the Hudson. Paulus Hook is a quiet mostly residential neighborhood stretching to the west from the Goldman Sachs building. Its main streets are Essex and Morris Streets and its waterfront is along the Morris Canal, where it maintains a walkway which is part of Jersey City's longer waterfront walkway. The Essex Street station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and the development of office buildings to the east have allowed more businesses to line Morris Street including a number of restaurants with outdoor seating. The Paulus Hook and Grove Street neighborhoods, unlike many other redeveloped neighborhoods on the Hudson have undergone the same revitalization with less gentrification. The Newport/Pavonia, Harborside Financial Center and Exchange Place neighborhoods on the waterfront are experiencing significant construction of high-rise towers and with the addition of the Light Rail and more ferry service the area has become a growing destination for businesses, residents and tourists. WALDO (work and live district overlay) is an area that is being redeveloped from its days as a warehouse center to an artist community. It is already home to several galleries and restaurants and development of artist housing, more galleries, a museum and stores are being planned. The former Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse is the building that anchors this neighborhood and when it is renovated it will maintain its shell that so many locals are used to seeing. A Trump Plaza is currently being constructed on the property to the south of the Powerhouse. In January 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration gave navigational clearance for construction of a 900-foot (270 m) residential and commercial tower planned by the Chinese Overseas America Corporation, which would succeed the Goldman Sachs Tower as the tallest skyscraper in New Jersey.[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/firstatfour/story?section=firstatfour&id=8452406
  2. ↑ McDonald, Terrence T. "Plans for N.J.'s new tallest tower get federal OK", The Jersey Journal, January 12, 2016. Accessed January 14, 2016. "China Oversea America is behind the project, which is set to include 781 condo units. Originally planned to rise 950 feet and include 95 stories, the newest plans have it topping out at 900 feet and 79 stories."

External links

Coordinates: 40°43′41″N 74°04′39″W / 40.7281°N 74.0776°W / 40.7281; -74.0776

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