Iconic Jersey City Art and Theatre Group Opens At Journal Square

By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor

Jersey City, N.J.— Art House Productions, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts in Jersey City, opened a new 8,300-square-foot building in the revitalized neighborhood of Journal Square.

“Art House is committed to bringing high-quality arts programming to our region, and this new space fits our growing needs as an organization,” Christine Goodman, Art House Productions’ executive director, tells MHN. “We will be able to reach a wider audience while accommodating more performances, classes and exhibitions.”

Located at 136 Magnolia Ave., the facility is adjacent to the PATH Station where Kushner Real Estate Group and National Real Estate Advisors are currently constructing the first of three luxury residential towers with street-level retail space as part of their transformative Journal Squared development.

Art House Productions was originally located in Hamilton Park.

“When Silverman, the developers of our former location, needed the space for their next phase of plans, they introduced Art House to Jonathan Kushner and KRE,” Goodman says. “We all felt this was a good fit for our needs as an arts institution and for KRE’s vision of a vibrant, burgeoning Journal Square.”

The new building more than doubles the space Art House Productions was utilizing in Hamilton Park, allowing it to expand its community programming with additional theatrical productions, film screenings, art exhibitions, youth events and classes.
“Our new facility is located at the center of all major transportation,” Goodman says. “At the heart of Journal Square, audiences and visiting artists will be able to access Art House by PATH train, by bus, on foot or by car. We are looking forward to bringing our theater, art, dance, film and music to a ground-floor space at the center of the city.”

Founded in 2001, Art House Productions serves more than 15,000 audience members per year and provides opportunities for more than 600 artists annually. It hosts approximately 60 events every year at its facility, and also organizes the popular “JC Fridays” events, a quarterly, city-wide celebration of the arts.

Journal Squared, a three-phase joint venture development of KRE and National, will ultimately comprise 1,840 luxury rental residences, 36,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, as well as a pedestrian-friendly public plaza adjacent to the PATH Station. The first phase, a 54-story, 540-unit residential tower, is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2016.