Amidst Jersey City’s burgeoning contemporary towers of glass and steel is one “new” apartment complex where the goal was to save the past

by Laura D.C. Kolnoski

Jersey City is booming, creating as much economic development buzz for its gleaming new commercial and residential high rises as its burgeoning arts community. Creating new where old eyesores once stood is now the norm, but there’s nothing normal about one development, where everything old is new again.

A different approach has transformed this 110-year-old former Butler Brothers industrial distribution warehouse from a vacant anachronism into 366 loft-style rentals, where necessity dictated that almost every unit be somewhat different. With pre-leasing starting in November and occupancy expected in early 2016, the eight-story structure doesn’t offer killer views of Manhattan, but developer Mill Creek Residential believes what it does offer will appeal to a specific brand of tenant.

“If someone wants to live on the 40th floor of a skyscraper, they are not coming to our community; they’ve got plenty of other options in Jersey City,” said Mill Creek Managing Director of Development Richard Murphy. “We’re not trying to compete with that. We capture the market for individuals looking for something unique.”

Rather than demolish, Mill Creek completely renovated the post-and-beam, brick and wood building, retaining interior southern pine columns that occupy different spots in Modera Loft’s studio, one-,two- and, three-bedroom apartments. In some units, the column might be in the kitchen. In next door’s, it may be elsewhere.

Units have 12-foot ceilings with exposed brick walls and large windows, and are outfitted with top-of-the-line amenities including tile baths, quartz countertops, and modern appliances. In October, rents were set to begin at about $2,100 and top out at more than $4,200.

“We had to almost custom design each unit to create a mix of two unique timeframes, so the history would not be lost,” Murphy said. “Our design philosophy was to take an old building and keep the character, but marry that to modern finishes.”

The smoke-free building offers a 24-hour concierge, fitness center, clubroom with pool table and televisions, dry cleaning service, an underground parking garage, coffee bar lounge, indoor penthouse lounge, outdoor kitchen, cold storage for food deliveries, a children’s play zone, and separate spin cycle and yoga rooms. Those working from home can take advantage of six communal offices in a business center, complete with Wi-Fi and conference rooms in the building formerly known as the Morgan Industrial Center. The Lofts are also two blocks from the nearest light rail station and one block from the Grove Street PATH station—the surrounding neighborhood encompassing millions of square feet of office, residential, and retail, including the Newport Centre Mall.

MODERA LOFTS
110 Morgan Street, Jersey City
855.902.9826 / moderalofts@millcreekplaces.com