Jersey City’s 19th-century church becomes 444-unit apartment tower

A historic Jersey City church is being converted into a 24-story apartment tower with 444 units, preserving key architectural elements while adding modern housing. The project at St. Lucy’s Roman Catholic Church, closed since 1985, is expected to complete in the third quarter of 2028. The development preserves the church’s early 1900s brick and brownstone masonry, stained glass windows, wrought iron fence, and 145-foot bell tower, with the church doors serving as the main entrance. Construction began in September 2025, with the 16th floor currently being poured. The building will include 431 market-rate rentals and 13 affordable apartments, plus amenities like a rooftop pool, sky lounge, and speakeasy in the bell tower. St. Lucy’s parish was founded for poor Irish immigrants in the late 19th century, and its school became a homeless shelter in 1986. As part of the redevelopment, developers built a new 60,000-square-foot shelter facility across the street, which opened in September 2023, and the statue of Saint Jude was relocated there.