Powerhouse Arts District

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The Powerhouse Powerhouse yellow doors fr HBLR crop jeh.jpg
The Powerhouse

The Powerhouse Arts District is a historic warehouse district in Downtown Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, on the water front of the Hudson River. Its name derives from the unused generating station Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse, [1] [2] [3] a historic Victorian-era power plant that was renovated into an arts center. [4] The area was once home to large industrial operations, which gradually left the district during the 20th century, leaving large derelict buildings that attracted artists drawn to the large, affordable loft spaces. [3]

Contents

WALDO and PAD

The A & P Warehouse Great-a-p-warehouse-jersey-city.jpg
The A & P Warehouse

Most of the proposals for retail and gallery space never materialized or found tenants, and as a result the eight blocks of industrial buildings remain much the same as in 2002 when the district began. As well, the city approved new zoning for a large development on First Street which deviated from the district plan. New zoning was proposed for several other blocks. Most proposed developments were higher rise structures, and the majority of capital investment in the district favors high rise development. These factors led to WALDO (Work And Live District Overlay) being removed from the zoning ordinance. [5]

In the aftermath, many of the original artists and small business owners who had been attracted by the promise of affordable studio and gallery space began to leave, citing rising rents and uncertainty about the district's future. A few long-time tenants managed to hold on, but the neighborhood's identity as a creative hub gradually eroded, replaced instead by speculation from developers anticipating the high-rise boom. Community groups voiced concern that the character of the district was being lost, though their efforts to preserve WALDO's vision never gained enough traction to reverse the city's shift in priorities.

Arts Organizations & Artists

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Warehouse Historic District". Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy. 2007. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Jersey City Powerhouse Official Website". City of Jersey City. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Whiten, Jon; Hunger Matt (Winter 2011). "Neighborhood Spotlight: The Powerhouse Arts District". NEW Magazine. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2016– via Jersey City Independent.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Martin, Antoinette (March 4, 2007). "The Hanging Tower of Jersey City". The New York Times . Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  5. ↑ Applebome, Peter (May 15, 2008). "Adjusting Vision of Waterfront Arts District to Include High Rises". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

40°43′12″N74°02′20″W / 40.7199°N 74.0389°W / 40.7199; -74.0389

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