Rubenstein Partners and Onyx Equities held a ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday to unveil the completed renovations to 30 Montgomery St, a 15 story office building along the waterfront.
The building was built in the early 1970’s and was one of the first towers to be built along the waterfront in Jersey City. Unfortunately, it was badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy and the owners were skeptical that it could be salvaged. During the peak of the storm the building amassed about 50 feet of water in its lower and below grade floors.
Instead of demolishing the building, Rubenstein instead opted for a large scale renovation project. Jersey Digs announced the start of the renovation back in January and surprisingly less than a year later, the $20 million project is completed.
Mayor Fulop, who spoke at the event, highlighted the novelty of the renovation, “Investing this kind of money in office and retail doesn’t happen very often. Residential yes, but not office.” Fulop stated.
Highlights of the renovation are a brand new lobby, all new windows, a high efficiency HVAC system, backup generators, and a new Executive Conference Center. Additionally, they’ve redesigned their two street level retail spaces to increase their attractiveness to prospective tenants.
The window replacement was a feat in itself. Never before had 800 windows been replaced in an occupied office building in the state of New Jersey.
Something else to note, is how close the renderings look to the completed project. Rarely does construction follow the renderings so closely.
With its fresh new look, 30 Montgomery hopes once again to become a major contender in the waterfront commercial property arena.
