111 FIRST: 1 OF-A-KIND IDEA

Originally appeared in the Jersey Journal on Tuesday, February 27, 2007

By JARRETT RENSHAW

One of the world's leading architects laid out his radical design for the controversial 111 First St. site, proposing a "vertical city" and ushering in a new phase of Jersey City's emergence as an international player in the world of business and style.

"The time has come to do a building that is less than typical," said architect Rem Koolhaas, whose prestigious portfolio includes the Seattle Public Library, Prada in New York and Los Angeles and the China Central Television Headquarters in Beijing.

The ambitious design calls for a 52-story tower consisting of three blocks stacked perpendicularly to one another, projecting what one official described as a "Rubik's Cube" look.

The three blocks would sit on top of a longer slab that would serve as a structural base and would accommodate parking, artist galleries and retail space.

The proposed $400 million mixed-use building would feature 1.2 million square feet of space, spread out among loft style-units, artist live and work space, typical condos, retail space and a world-class hotel.

The exposed roofs on the individual blocks present a number of unique, open-air spaces in the building, Koolhaas said yesterday as he showed renderings of people relaxing in open-air cafés and gazing at reflection pools.

In a number of ways, the unusual design is a visual attack on the "cookie-cutter" high-rises that are dominating the city's skyline these days.

"This is the most cutting-edge piece of architecture I have seen in my career," said Bob Cotter, the city's planning czar. "I would hope this type of project would lead other developers to come into the city with unique plans."

Koolhaas showed off the design yesterday morning at the Jersey City Museum, which was packed with city officials, media and members of the development community. It's the architect's first large-scale residential development in the United States.

"This is another step in the ongoing transformation and revitalization of Jersey City," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. "It's time New Jersey, New York and the world sees Jersey City as an international metropolis."

The site at 111 First St. was the center of a long legal battle between the building's owner, Lloyd Goldman, of BLDG Management Co., and scores of artists who had been using the building as work/live studio space. Goldman, citing structural concerns and financial issues, wanted to demolish the old tobacco building and redevelop the site. Goldman eventually won a compromise with the city and the artists.

The deal was widely viewed as a blow to the Powerhouse Arts District, which was initially envisioned as a low-density arts center in the mold of New York City's Soho neighborhood.