Just a block away from The Junction in Jersey City’s Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood, a team of young local developers is in the process of bringing new life to a historic but vacant property.
The single-family brownstone at 2 Park Street, at the corner of Communipaw Ave, is in the process of being rehabilitated and converted into two residential rental units. According to local residents and developers Daniel Mirabel and Brenly Tolentino of Northern United International Corp., the structure is being converted into a unit with one bedroom and one bathroom, as well as a duplex unit with three bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Alan Feld is the project’s architect.
Construction is expected to be completed by mid-November, and it will be one of the few properties in the area to offer two-car parking, according to Mirabel. Solar panels could also possibly be installed in an attempt to make the units self-sustaining. Built in the 1890s, it has sat vacant on this hillside for over a decade.
“By renovating it and reoccupying it, we bring something else to the neighborhood other than a red box on a beautiful brownstone,” he explained.
One unique aspect of this adaptive reuse project is actually outside of the building itself. According to Mirabel, the property will feature a rounded curvy fence designed by international artist Duda Penteado.
”It’s going to be designed to stand out,” said Mirabel, adding that “instead of the corners that you see in most of the neighborhood, it [the fence] will be mostly rounded.”
As this project nears completion, the 24-year-old developers say that they hope to become role models among the youth of Hudson County.
“We want to inspire other young people in the community and let them know that they can also be leaders and have a huge impact in their neighborhood,” said Torentino.
