by: Linda G. Miller
Mixed-Use Tower Approved Near Journal Square PATH Station
The Jersey City Planning Board has approved a 55-story mixed-use tower designed by Handel Architects at 2861 Kennedy Boulevard, one block from the Journal Square PATH station. The more than 600,000-square-foot development will replace a two-story retail building and deliver 840 apartments, including 84 affordable units.
Retail space at the base is expected to include a supermarket, while residential amenities will feature a rooftop deck, outdoor terrace, and pool. The tower is composed of two intersecting volumes articulated with copper-toned metal banding, creating a distinctive profile within the rapidly developing Journal Square neighborhood.
A four-story podium is defined by a sweeping curve and a large urban window that extends through the block. Developed by Nasser Freres, the project is located adjacent to the landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre, which is currently undergoing restoration.
Office-to-Residential Conversion Brings 788 Apartments to 222 Broadway
CetraRuddy has designed the conversion of 222 Broadway, a 31-story office tower in Lower Manhattan, into a residential rental building. Rebranded as Wrey by GFP Development, the 770,416-square-foot tower was originally designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates and completed in 1961.
The conversion will create 788 apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom residences, many with dedicated home-office space, as well as 40,000 square feet of commercial space. Residents will have access to “Two Two Two,” a five-floor amenity program inspired by private members’ clubs. Amenities include a rooftop pool and sundeck, a full-service spa, fitness facilities, co-working spaces, a private dining room, screening room, game lounge, children’s playroom, and a 75-foot indoor lap pool.
The project also includes a partial recladding of the tower’s midcentury façade and a rooftop addition. It marks the second office-to-residential conversion collaboration between CetraRuddy and GFP Development in Lower Manhattan, following SoMA at 25 Water Street, currently recognized as the largest office-to-residential conversion in the United States.
Multisensory Ancestral Ecologies Opens at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
On view through October 25, 2026, at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG), Ancestral Ecologies presents four multisensory installations exploring animist frameworks through environmental and material phenomena. Created by artist Olalekan Jeyifous and the architecture practice AD—WO, the site-specific exhibition draws on animist traditions—the belief that plants, landscapes, and natural forces possess agency, spirit, and consciousness—to examine relationships between humans and the natural world.
The exhibition considers how Latinx and Afrodiasporic beliefs and rituals can inform contemporary ecological stewardship. The four installations—Serpentine Specter, Sonic Strands, Animist Capsules, and Earthen Tiles—take cues from the Garden’s interconnected microecosystems. Jeyifous and AD—WO are the inaugural fellows of BBG’s Heidi Nitze Art × Environment Fellowship, a biennial program supporting collaborations between artists and environmental thinkers.
HELP Women’s Center Opens in East New York
HELP Women’s Center (HWC), the first dedicated intake and assessment center for women entering New York City’s homeless shelter system, has opened at 114 Snediker Avenue in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood. Designed by Curtis + Ginsberg Architects (C+GA), the five-story, 61,000-square-foot facility provides 200 beds and supports person-centered intake, assessment, and care, helping to streamline access to care and housing pathways.
The design emphasizes safety, dignity, accessibility, and privacy through abundant natural light, calming materials, intuitive wayfinding, wide corridors, and open vestibules. Commissioned through HELP USA’s Art of Resilience program, a large-scale site-specific mural, Open Light by artist Shantell Martin, anchors the entry lobby and is visible from multiple floors.
While circulation around a central core creates clear sightlines for intuitive orientation, discreetly placed security offices reinforce safety without making surveillance the dominant experience. The center includes a communal dining room, commercial kitchen, lounges, laundry facilities, a computer lab, music and art therapy rooms, a medical clinic, and staff offices. Landscaped outdoor spaces, including roof terraces and a rear yard, extend the building’s restorative mission. Designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities standards, the all-electric facility incorporates green roofs, bioswales, and stormwater retention systems. The project was developed by Camber Property Group.
Residential Conversion of Parc Beaufort Nears Completion
The residential conversion of Parc Beaufort at 140 West 57th Street is nearing completion. Designed by MdeAS Architects with interiors by Stephen Sills Associates, the landmarked Neo-Renaissance building was originally completed in 1908 as a live-work cooperative for artists known as The Office Townhouse.
Following its conversion to office use in 1981, the building is returning to residential occupancy with 47 condominium residences ranging from studios to three-bedroom homes. Select loft residences retain nearly 20-foot ceilings and original double-height windows that once provided ideal northern light for artists.
Amenities include a double-height vaulted lobby, fitness center, residents’ lounge overlooking West 57th Street, and a 1,600-square-foot landscaped roof terrace. Restoration work has returned the limestone-and-brick façade to its historic appearance, including reconstruction of the building’s long-removed cornice. Higgins Quasebarth & Partners served as preservation consultant. The project is being developed by The Feil Organization in partnership with Lloyd Goldman of BLDG Management and the Nakash Family.
In Case You Missed It…
The Orchard Beach Pavilion in Pelham Bay Park has partially reopened following a reconstruction project designed by Marvel for NYC Parks and NYCEDC. The landmarked, 140,000-square-foot structure, originally completed in 1936 with Works Progress Administration funding, had been closed since 2009. The project restores historic architectural features while adding new community amenities and accessibility improvements. The pavilion is expected to fully reopen later this summer.
Amtrak has selected Halmar International as master developer for the Penn Station redevelopment project. HOK will serve as managing architect, while PAU has been named design architect. The AECOM/LIRO joint venture will oversee project and construction management.
Stonewall National Monument has been included on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2026 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The designation cites concerns over federal actions that advocates say threaten the visibility and preservation of LGBTQ+ history. Stonewall remains the first and only U.S. National Monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.
Mayor Mamdani has released Block by Block: The Housing Plan for a New Era, a comprehensive strategy aimed at addressing New York City’s housing affordability challenges and expanding housing opportunities for working New Yorkers.
The 2026 NYCxDESIGN Awards have been announced, recognizing outstanding projects and products across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.