Amid fears of collapse, a plan to revive Jersey City’s North Baptist Church gained long-awaited approval from the Historic Preservation Commission. Along with the St. John’s Church, the work at this historic house of worship in the Harsimus Cove neighborhood is one of the most challenging preservation projects in the city due to its heavily deteriorated state. The historic house of worship sat abandoned after suffering a fire in the 1970s.
Manny Pereiras, principal of the Union City firm, Pereiras Architects Ubiquitous, was the lead architect on the project and had prevailed over a previous, unrequited plan in 2020 to rebuild the church.
“What remains of this site is primarily the Jersey Avenue facade with only a small portion of the Fourth Street facade still present,” he said. “Our approach restores the surviving historic fabric on Jersey Avenue, where evidence and material remain, and it treats Fourth Street as a new construction that is honest and respectful, rather than pretending to be original.”
In the last decade, the city has seen a favorable trend toward the restoration of historic churches. Most of these plans are made possible through converting them into apartments and condos, which can be challenging for architects. But the result can be breathtaking at times. One of the apartments in North Baptist Church will include the bell tower in its master bedroom…