Contact Info

phone(201) 547-5010
1 Jackson Square, 2nd floor
Jersey City, NJ 07305

Tanya Marione, PP, AICP
Director
Directions
[email protected]

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

The Historic Preservation Commission, as established by the 2001 Land Development Ordinance, works to identify, record and protect buildings, sites, places, structures, objects or landscape features of significant historical, architectural, social and archeological value. The identification of historic resources for municipal landmarking is based on the National Register Criteria for Evaluation established by the United States Department of the Interior and in accordance with the Jersey City Land Development Ordinance Chapter 345.30 : Historic Preservation Review Procedures. The eleven-member commission strives to help the public in understanding the importance of these historic resources, both individually and in the context of the surrounding districts and neighborhoods by encouraging appropriate development and rehabilitation in accordance with the Jersey City Land Development Ordinance Chapter 345.71 : Historic Preservation Standards and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties, especially the Standards for Rehabilitation. The Commission is currently supported by three preservation staff, Dan, Maggie, Michael an attorney, and secretarial staff.

Advisories

***Please be advised, as of February 13, 2025 amendments to Chapter 345 of the Jersey City Land Development Ordinance, as approved under Ord. 25-006, are in effect. While this ordinance is still codification on the City's digital ordinance, staff has prepared an LDO Interim User Document to access the latest standards.***

All applications starting June 14, 2023 must be submitted through the Jersey City Licensing and Permitting website. To submit an application to the Historic Preservation Commission, you must first create a login on the Jersey City Licensing and Permitting website.

If you have already created an account you may also click one of the options below. Before submitting, please be sure you are submitting your application to the correct land use board.

Staff requests that ALL appointment requests, questions, and general communication be submitted via email to [email protected] until further notice.

Follow links to Historic Preservation Commission agendas below to access plan documents and meeting information.

Interactive Zoning Map

Digital Agendas and Plans for Download

To access an agenda for a Jersey City public meeting, or view the Jersey City Calendar.

Agendas have hyperlinks to download digital plans, reports and other materials for all applications to be presented to the commission. Within the agenda, click on a link for the case you wish to review. Alternatively, you can search by address or case number to review digital plans at the Jersey City Open Data Portal. Plans for cases will be made available on the portal after agendas are sunshined.

If you wish to receive email notice of when staff publishes materials on the portal, create a login, navigate to the dataset you are interested in, and select the "follow" button to receive alerts.

The Historic Preservation Commission consists of nine regular members (appointed for four-year terms) and two alternates (appointed for two-year terms). These members are appointed by the Mayor from the community and to ensure a wide spectrum of experience and expertise.

Commissioners are designated to fulfill one of three categories:

Class A
A person who is knowledgeable in building design and construction or architectural history.

Class B
A person who is knowledgeable of, or who has a demonstrated interest in local history.

Class C
Any citizen of the City who shall hold no other municipal office, position or employment except for membership on the Planning Board or Board of Adjustment. Four regular members shall be of and designated of Class A and B with the remaining balance of Commissioners being Class C.

The city has five local historic districts and fourteen local landmarks designated for protection. The five current districts are the Hamilton Park, Harsimus Cove, Paulus Hook, Van Vorst Park, and West Bergen East Lincoln Park Historic District. Ellis Island, William Dickinson High School, the Van Wegenen-Apple Tree House, Holland Street, the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse, the Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Branch Embankment, the Butler Brothers Warehouse, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Warehouse (Headquarters) and the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Warehouse Auxiliary Building and Bakery, the Merchants' Refrigerating Company Warehouse, The Former Whitlock Cordage Site, the Jersey City Women's Club, the former Saint John's Episcopal Church and the Venus Pellagati Xtravaganza House are individual landmarks. The development of these resources is under the jurisdiction of the Historic Preservation Ordinance and Commission.

Any development, construction, alteration, rehabilitation or repair of any sign, building or property within the four designated Historic Districts of the City or a landmark building, requires the owner of the property to first secure a Certificate of No Effect (CoNE) or a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) from the Jersey City Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), before work commences whether or not a construction permit is required.

Most work is reviewed by the staff of the Historic Preservation Commission and may be approved under a Certificate of No Effect with any necessary conditions. Generally, work that is approved by staff under a Certificate of No Effect consists of rehabilitation, restoration, maintenance and repairs. Applications for interior work which requires a permit from the office of the Zoning Officer or the Construction Code Official but has been determined to have no adverse effect on a landmark building is also issued a Certificate of No Effect.

The Historic Preservation Commission generally reviews applications for Certificates of Appropriateness which are sought for projects which include new construction, rear yard and rooftop additions, demolitions and work that does not appear to be consistent with the City’s Historic Preservation Standards and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for the treatment of Historic Properties. When an application has been determined to be complete, Staff will calendar the project for a hearing on the Historic Preservation Commission’s Calendar. Monthly meetings are held in the Boardroom in the Holloway Building on the second or third Monday of the month.

Homeowners, architects, contractors and applicants are always welcome to informally discuss their projects with the Commission’s Staff before submitting an application.

Sometimes, work is done on a property without obtaining the proper approvals and permits beforehand. In some instances, this work could jeopardize or harm historic fabric or may be simply inappropriate. Usually, a Certificate of No Effect or a Certificate of Appropriateness is posted on a property in a visible place, along with the building permit, otherwise known as a yellow card. Regardless, if you have any questions about work on a landmark building or within a historic district, please feel free to contact us. All inquiries and complaints are confidential and will be checked by professional staff of the Commission in a timely manner.

At present the Historic Preservation Officer reviews all applications for demolition throughout the City to verify the cultural, historical, and/or architectural significance of the building or structure under consideration. The purpose of this review is to establish the age, significance, and integrity of the building in accordance with Chapter 345: Zoning and Chapter 105: Building Demolition of the City Code. Please find the Demolition Permit application here.