By Sally Deering

 

The Hudson & Manhattan RR Powerhouse in the downtown section of Jersey City stands amidst the million-dollar high-rises like a drab Cinderella before her Fairy Godmother turns her into a Princess. An icon of the golden age of Jersey City, the H&M Powerhouse that once harnessed electrical power to the Hudson Trains and Tunnel that connected New Jersey and New York before the PATH is now a deconstructed shell of her former self and – just like Cinderella – about to receive a makeover.

 

Located on Washington Boulevard between First and Bay Streets in downtown Jersey City, the H & M Powerhouse is in the cityâ€s Warehouse Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.  Designed by architect John Oakman and his partner W. Powell Robins, the H & M Powerhouse began powering up H & M Railroadâ€s Hudson Tunnels subway line that connected New Jersey and New York on February 25, 1908. It provided power 24/7 to the cars, lines, stations and terminals here and in New York.  In 1929 the H & M Powerhouse closed and in December 2001, the National Register of Historic Places certified it as a national landmark.  The Port Authority and Jersey City jointly own the building and in 2009 agreed to the stabilization of the Powerhouse which has now become the anchor for the Powerhouse Arts District – a proposed mecca of theaters, art galleries, restaurants and shops. According to Bob Antonicello, Executive Director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Authority which oversees new and reconstructed building development in Jersey City, the ongoing stabilization of the historic H & M Powerhouse by the JCRA has entered a critical stage with the removal of the buildingâ€s smokestacks.

 “Unfortunately, the removal of the smokestacks is something that is unavoidable,” Antonicello says. “The years of deterioration have undermined the stability of the stacks and after exhaustive engineering studies, including invasive testing last spring, have led to the conclusion that the smokestacks could not be saved.”

The removal began the last week of March and will take approximately six weeks.

“Although we are saddened to see the smokestacks removed, we are encouraged by the fact that the building has been stabilized,” Antonicello says. “We are now moving forward with the designated redeveloper, the Cordish Companies of Baltimore, Maryland, with the future plans which will include the reconstruction of the smokestacks.”

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy says that although he was disappointed when he learned that the smokestacks would have to come down, he is encouraged by the hard work the JCRA is doing to preserve “the historic treasure of our Cityâ€s industrial past.”

“I know, like the Power Plant in Baltimore, this property will see a rebirth that will be a lynchpin for the Powerhouse Arts District and a landmark for the City,” Healy says.

For more information on the history of the H&M Powerhouse, visit: www.njcu.edu; www.jerseycitylandmarks.org

 

The post H & M Powerhouse Loses Smokestacks Gains Momentum in Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.

 

By Sally Deering

 Jersey City’s artist community – painters, sculptors, musicians, film and theater professionals – give this urban city an added vibrancy with a dash of cool. Arts collectives like Pro Arts and Art House Productions – and the Hudson County Division of Cultural Affairs – do their part to support artists through exhibitions, performances and group shows and the Jersey City Redevelopment Authority has been giving well-known street artists highway embankments and building facades to enhance the city’s visual beauty and community identity.

 About a year ago, a new arts group, the Jersey City Art School opened its doors in Downtown Jersey City, a for-profit somewhat informal group of local artists and the brainchild of Thomas John Carlson, a Jersey City artist who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ringling School of Art and Design and an MFA from the New York Academy of Art. Carlson teaches classical approaches to painting and drawing and the school also offers classes in photography, stained glass, sewing and jewelry making.  Classes are geared to adults and children who are serious about art or searching for new ways to express their creative selves.

 “A lot of people who take classes with us do artistic things and work in creative imageries, however maybe they always wanted to paint and never really painted or maybe do more drawing,” says Thomas John Carlson, manager of Jersey City Art School. “I get students who haven’t focused in on the classical approach to drawing and painting.  I also get a lot of people who have stressful jobs and they want to do something very different.”

 Jersey City Art School offers 8-week beginner drawing and painting classes designed to train students to master foundation skills. Students learn about the value scale, gradients, using a viewfinder, sight-sizing, composition, various painting techniques (under-painting, glazing and alla prima,) and still-life. Intermediate drawing and painting classes offer students studio lessons like stretching canvas and focus on drawing the human form first with charcoal then painting. Both classes are taught with a classical approach.

 “There’s not a lot of technical training in high school and college art classes,” Carlson says. “I’m giving what I learned and reapplying it to people who are new to painting and people who want something of substance from an art class.

 Four week classes include jewelry making and watercolor painting and special workshops are offered in dyeing and sewing. There’s a Pre-College Academy for teens applying to art school or creating a portfolio to show to fellowship programs, potential employers and for those who just want to improve. There’s also a six-week Saturday series of classes for kids 6-10 called the Kids Academy that introduces them to the world of art and famous artists. This goes way beyond arts and crafts, Carlson says, and instead focuses on substance and education.

 “Each class is an hour and a half framed around an artist, Monet, for instance,” Carlson says. “We’ll have a talk about Monet and Impressionism and then set up a still life and they draw. It’s not arts and crafts hour.”

 Another unique offering is a glassblowing class taught by artist Kiva Ford, a Jersey City resident who works for a pharmaceutical company making custom scientific glassware for research.

 “It’s very specific,” Ford says. “We work with blueprints, calipers. It’s a great way to hone your skills.”

Ford sells his artistic glass creations on etsy.com and there’s a video on Google that shows how his scientific and artistic work as a glassblower meld: “Glass is a beautiful material,” he says.

Ford teaches glassblowing at Jersey City Art School’s garage location, a two-hour class for one or two people at a time. Students get a real hands-on experience working with the blowing torch to create ornaments, miniatures, drinking glasses and figures. Ford’s been with the Jersey City Art School a year, now, and he sees the school as great way to involve local artists.

“The Jersey City Art School, the city needed this really badly,” Ford says. “It’s great to get a group of people together who are interested in creative ideas and projects. It was hard for people here to take a workshop in painting, oil painting or glass. Usually they have to go to New York City. Jersey City Art School makes the city a better place. Every year, there are more things going on that involve artists.”

 Jersey City Art School offers writing workshops and a Film Forum on Sundays hosted by Jersey City writer and filmmaker Yvonne Vairma. Each week a different “off-the-beaten-path” film is screened and followed by a discussion.

“As the school expands, it will continue to look to local artists to participate both as students and instructors further developing the lively arts scene in Jersey City and beyond,” it states on the Jersey City Art School website. This is something important to Carlson as he builds on relationships with Pro Arts, Art House Productions and other arts groups and inspires aspiring artists to find their muse. Classes that help them – and us – see the world a little differently.

 New classes begin the week of June 4^th.  Why not pick up a brush, sign up for a workshop, see an off-beat film or blow some glass. Whatever you try, it’s bound to be cool.

 Jersey City Art School

326 5th Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302-5307
(732) 877-9116

www.jcartschool.com

 

 

The post Cool School-Express Yourself at the Jersey City Art School first appeared on River View Observer.