Two churches on Pacific Avenue in Jersey City have been drawing crowds lately, but the people visiting are construction workers, not congregants.
The old St. John’s AME Church and Gethsemane Baptist Church in Bergen-Lafayette are each being adaptively reused from houses of worship to residential developments.
At 326 Pacific Avenue, the St. John’s AME Church property has been the focus of multiple development plans over the last decade.
The most recent proposal surfaced in 2019 after property records showed that Pacific Whiton, LLC paid almost $2 million for the church and $985,500 for a neighboring property on Whiton Avenue. At the time, the rehabilitation and expansion of the church were slated to lead to the development of 36 residential units.
Signs outside 326 Pacific Avenue list Supreme Builders as the general contractor on the premises.
Down the block at 260 Pacific Avenue, the former Gethsemane Baptist Church was recently sold to High End Pacific Condos, LLC, according to developer Meir Berkowitz.
Last year, 260 Pacific Ave, LLC proposed converting the old religious institution into seven residential units. Berkowitz said that no changes have been made to the previously approved plans and that demolition work began on November 29, a few days after building permits were issued.
The units are expected to be condominiums, with construction lasting around six months.
