A much-heralded deal to bring a Paris-based museum to Jersey City has been officially axed but new affordable housing could be built at a development that was slated to house the now-defunct arts center.
Back in 2021, former Mayor Steven Fulop announced a plan to bring Centre Pompidou’s first North American satellite museum. The plan was initially for the museum to open at 25 Journal Square, a former trolley building constructed in 1912 that Jersey City purchased for $9 million in 2018.
However, New Jersey’s Economic Development Authority wrote to Centre Pompidou in 2024 saying that it would no longer fund the museum. The Authority had doubts about the financial viability of the project, citing a $19 million hole in the museum’s operating budget.
Jersey City quickly proposed and approved a new plan that would instead construct the museum inside a greenlit development at 808 Pavonia Avenue. The project, from Kushner Real Estate Group and New York-based Silverstein Properties, was granted a 30-year tax abatement in exchange for 100,000 square feet of space for the Pompidou.
Recently elected Mayor James Solomon has now announced that his administration will work with Kushner Real Estate Group to add affordable housing at 808 Pavonia Avenue in lieu of providing space for the cancelled Pompidou museum. The mayor is also exploring ways to provide community space at the development.
“The previous administration left Jersey City with no financially responsible way to move forward with the Pompidou concept,” said Mayor James Solomon. “But we appreciate KRE’s willingness to partner with us on a new vision. They came to us with a proposal for pivoting from the museum to badly needed affordable housing. That kind of flexibility deserves recognition. It’s exactly the kind of partnership this city needs, and the type of work that will be a trademark of this administration.”
The plan for 808 Pavonia Avenue calls for 55- and 49-story towers, both with three-story podiums. The entirety of the project is slated to include a total of 1,189 units, none of which were initially to be designated as affordable housing.
However, KRE Group President Jonathan Kushner expressed in a statement the company’s commitment to the new direction of the project.
“We’ve been building in Journal Square for over two decades, and we’re invested in this community’s future,” said Kushner. “We want what is best for the neighborhood and all of Jersey City and reimagining this project as affordable housing pushes forward our long-term dedication to building a better Jersey City. We’re proud to partner with the city on this.”
The two-phase development, now known as Artwalk Towers, is already underway following KRE’s $175 million construction financing that was secured in late 2024. The project will feature a “street connector” between Pavonia and Van Reipen avenues that includes a 6,194 square-foot gallery and café space, an amphitheater area, and a landmark clock tower.
Jersey City says that details on the affordable housing component— including the total unit count and affordability levels — will be released soon.
