The Arts & Powerhouse Building at 130 Bay Street in Jersey City’s Powerhouse Arts District has officially commenced commercial leasing. Originally constructed in 1913 as the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Warehouse, the building has undergone a $30 million renovation that blends its industrial heritage with modern office and retail spaces.
The redevelopment provides approximately 135,000 square feet of loft-style office, commercial, and retail space, with units ranging from 4,000 to 100,000 square feet. The building features open layouts, ceiling heights of up to 27 feet, and a 10,000-square-foot rooftop deck offering panoramic views of Manhattan. The project involves redeveloping and converting three interconnected industrial buildings into a mixed-use commercial facility within the Powerhouse Arts District. The existing buildings contain roughly 100,000 square feet of interior space, with an additional 25,000 square feet created by constructing new floors over portions of the existing buildings.
As part of the renovation, sections of the existing structure were demolished for a new translucent vertical circulation core. The low-rise portion of the building along first street was demolished for a new 5 story steel framed structure with more generous open floor plates. A cast in place concrete bunker was constructed for new electric vaults at the ground floor. Atop the existing building a steel framed ‘lantern’ penthouse was added with a perimeter roof deck.
While expanding the space, we made every effort to preserve the exterior structural elements during restoration. The historic façade was retained and temporarily braced during construction. The entirety of the exposed structural concrete façade was meticulously surveyed and repaired, restoring the buildings original character. New interior shear walls and pile foundations were added to reinforce the existing building and provide support for the new enlargements.
The project was successfully completed earlier this year, and GMS was thrilled to contribute to the restoration of this landmark building.