Downtown Jersey City Garage Could Be Converted Into Art Studios

December 11, 2020

95 Bright Street Jersey City Exterior — The one-story structure at 95 Bright Street near Jersey Avenue could be renovated and converted into art studios. Image courtesy of Hampton Hill Architecture via the application.

Changes could be in store for a garage that has long stood in Downtown Jersey City.

The one-story structure at 95 Bright Street near Jersey Avenue could be renovated and converted into art studios as part of a proposal submitted by building owner Lorraine Mocco.

95 Bright Street Jersey City Planned Exterior — Image courtesy of Hampton Hill Architecture via the application.

Site plans from Hampton Hill Architecture that were submitted for the Jersey CIty Historic Preservation Commission’s (HPC) November 16 meeting describe this proposal as an “interior tenant space fit-out for artist studio, framing shop, [and] manufacturer of plaster casts.”

Bright Street Studios Jersey City — Image courtesy of Hampton Hill Architecture via the application.

The plans also include a rendering of a sign referring to this project as “Bright St. Studios” along with a proposed floor layout showing that there would be an art workshop, three adjacent studios, a new communal space, and new skylights.

This former industrial building dates back to around 1900, according to a November 16 memo from Jersey City Historic Preservation Specialist Margaret O’Neill. O’Neill wrote that Mocco has owned the building since 1992 and that “in HPC Staff’s opinion, this will not cause an adverse effect on the character and/or integrity of the Van Vorst Park Historic District.”

95 Bright Street Jersey City Historic Photo 1938 — Image courtesy of Hampton Hill Architecture via the application.

Hampton Hill Architecture’s plans list that the premises are used for storage. A public notice states that “the property is presently improved with a garage/warehouse/woodwork shop,” adding that the Jersey City Zoning Board of Adjustment is slated to hear the proposed modifications during a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, December 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Note to readers: The dates that applications are scheduled to be heard by the Jersey City Zoning Board of Adjustment and other commissions are subject to change.