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A New Elysian Fields to be Part of First Phase

By Martin Espinoza Journal staff writer
Thursday, December 11, 2003


HOBOKEN - Local developers have promised the city they will build six acres of open space as part of a residential and commercial development at the old Maxwell House coffee plant, a project that could ultimately cost between a quarter and half a billion dollars.

The new waterfront park, heralded by city officials as the largest public/private open space initiative in the city's history, will include an historic recreation of Elysian Fields, said to be the scene of the country's first baseball game; restoration of the natural sand beach at the 10th Street cove; and rehabilitation of the 12th Street Pier that will include removal of the 40-foot-high 12th Street Pier building.

Mayor David Roberts praised the project earlier this week at a ceremony announcing the developers' open space commitment. Roberts said the project is an example of how his administration, the City Council and developers were able to work together to improve the city's quality of life.

"We don't necessarily want to stop development," said Roberts, standing next to local developers George Vallone and Daniel Gans, of Hoboken Brownstone Company, and Brian M. Stolar, CEO of the Millburn-based Pinnacle Communities. "We want to make sure that what you do is better."

With construction of the residential and commercial component of the project planned in four phases, the project calls for 832 studio, single- and multiple-bedroom units, 160,000 square feet of office space and 50,000 square feet of retail space.

Some 1,333 parking spaces will be made available to residents of the community, with an additional 150 spaces made available to residents of the surrounding community.

Vallone said the residential buildings, which include several condominium towers and five-story townhouses, will maintain a historic brownstone aspect that suits the surrounding neighborhood. About 400 residential units will have views of the Manhattan skyline, he said.

The first phase of construction, Block A, is expected to be completed by mid 2005 and includes the completion of the open space lot that includes Elysian Fields - not to be confused with nearby Elysian Park.

Elysian Fields, most baseball historians agree, was the site of the first organized baseball game, played in 1846 under rules set down by Alexander Cartwright.

Ninety-two years after that first baseball game, (in 1938) Maxwell House built on the site what was then the world's largest coffee factory. The factory closed more than a decade ago, after phasing out workers for years, due to declining coffee sales.

Plans for the open space component of the project also call for conversion of a two-acre peninsula into an open grass field with a tree grove and picnic area. The peninsula will feature an emergency boat launch to be used by fire and police personnel.

The project's waterfront walkway will be integrated into the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, a state-mandated project that extends from Fort Lee to Bayonne, Roberts said, noting that completion of the Maxwell House portion of Hoboken's Waterfront Walkway will add the largest missing segment - more than 2,500 linear feet - to the walkway.

Vallone said altruism wasn't the only reason behind the commitment to build six acres of open space. He said such an amenity will ultimately make the residential and commercial property between 10 and 20 percent more valuable.

"It's no secret that residential property located next to a park is more valuable," he said.

Martin Espinoza can be reached at mespinoz@jjournal.com

Copyright 2003 The Jersey Journal. Used with permission