What is considered one of the oldest buildings in Jersey City is now on the market. The Summit House, located at 510 Summit Ave, steps away from the Journal Square Path station, will be auctioned off this May. The three-story, 6,800-square-foot building dates back to the 17th century.
The entirely vacant structure has a storied past and offers a promising future in a booming Jersey City neighborhood to the highest bidder. Bobby Antonicello Jr. and Andrew Crisara of GRID Commercial Real Estate are utilizing the Ten-X digital auction platform on LoopNet to handle bidding, which takes place from May 5th to 7th. Bidding starts at $350,000.
“The Summit House is a nearly 7,000-square-foot commercial building that sits steps away from the busiest PATH stop in New Jersey, with more than 6 million people passing through last year. It’s surrounded by thousands of new residential units with thousands more to come,” commented Bobby Antonicello Jr., Manager and Owner, GRID Commercial Real Estate “It’s incredibly unique to have such an historic asset like this to even come on the market. This is a very, very unique opportunity for somebody.”
The Summit House was originally called the Newkirk House and built in 1690 by Mattheus Cornelissen Newkirk who had emigrated from the Netherlands in 1659. The area was known as Bergen and even when the British took over New Netherland in 1665, the area’s inhabitants remained firmly rooted in Dutch tradition. The house was initially constructed as a one-story home with two-foot-thick walls of sandstone, limestone and mortar. Eight-inch wood pegs hold together the massive wood beams that frame the structure.
Through the next two centuries the Newkirk House remained in the family as Jersey City grew and transformed around it. The family sold the Dutch Colonial home in 1889. In the early 20th century the building was deeded to the Queen’s Daughters Day Nursery Association, providing childcare for working mothers. For the next several decades it housed a series of retail businesses, including a tailor shop, a lingerie store and a tavern.
In 1979, the structure was listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and soon became the Summit House restaurant, which served eclectic American fare. A succession of restaurants occupied the spot including Blue Ribbon (seafood), Laico’s at the Summit House (Italian) and finally Sanai’s (American/Caribbean), owned by Jersey City native and former NBA star Terry Dehere. Since Sanai’s closed, the building has been vacant.
With incredible growth happening all around the Journal Square area, the Summit House is well-positioned for its next iteration. 500 Summit, the 0.8 acre lot to the immediate south and east is approved for a high-rise tower with as many as 900 units, while plans are in place to transform the DMV office at 438 Summit into two 25-story, mixed-use towers with 709 units. With easy access to PATH trains, buses, and major highways, the neighborhood is ideal for commuters to Manhattan and New Jersey.
For those interested in the Summit House auction and investing in a piece of Jersey City history, details are located here.
