Jersey City’s historic Loew’s Theatre to reopen this fall after $130M restoration
View from the Lower Mezzanine Level. Credit: VStudio
A Jersey City icon will reopen its doors this year. Loew’s Jersey Theatre announced this week that the historic venue will return this fall, following a $130 million restoration. New renderings provide an updated look at the 1929 theater’s transformation into a year-round entertainment destination in Journal Square, more than 40 years after preservation efforts began. Led by OTJ Architects, the project rehabilitates and modernizes the space while retaining its ornate historical details, with upgrades that include new sound and lighting systems and flexible seating for between 2,600 and 4,000 guests.
Built by architect George Rapp in a gilded Baroque-Rococo style, the theater is one of five Loew’s Wonder Theatres constructed between 1929-30 across the tri-state area, along with the Loew’s Paradise in the Bronx, the Loew’s Kings in Brooklyn, the Loew’s Valencia in Queens, and the Loew’s 175th Street, now known as the United Palace Theatre, as 6sqft previously reported.
The series of grand movie palaces was built to establish Loews Corporation’s stature in the film industry, but also as an escape for people from all walks of life, especially during the Great Depression and World War II.
Jersey City’s theater served as an entertainment hub for decades before being converted into a triplex movie theater in the 1970s and nearly facing demolition in the 1980s. Pressure from grassroots preservation efforts ultimately led the city to buy the theater in 1987, allowing the nonprofit Friends of the Loew’s to begin the restoration and operate it as a nonprofit arts center.
However, the project has been hampered by delays for decades. In a 2018 interview, Friends of the Loew’s executive director Colin Egan said that while the city matched a $1 million state grant awarded at the start of the project, the combined $2 million was not even enough to cover basic costs such as restoring heat or making the bathrooms operational.
To compensate for the lack of funding, volunteers worked on the theater every weekend until 1996, tackling projects ranging from mechanical and lighting systems to mapping every seat and scraping, priming, and repainting them.
By 2001, enough work had been completed to allow the theater to partially reopen for the first time in 15 years. Until its closure for restoration, it hosted live performances, events, and film screenings, according to the Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs.
“These renderings offer a glimpse into the quality of the restoration and an insight into what our patrons, promoters, partners, performers, and neighbors will see when they first step into this very special venue,” Bruce Wheeler, general manager of Loew’s Jersey Theatre, said.
The restoration project is a collaboration between the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, the State of New Jersey, and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), with which the city entered into a lease agreement in 2021 to renovate, manage, and operate the theater. In 2022, the theater was officially designated a National Historic Landmark. Interior and exterior restoration work has been ongoing.
In 2020, former Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop estimated the project at $40 million. The following year, the city said it had reached a $72 million agreement for the renovation. Last May, it was announced that due to multiple stops and starts and rising material costs, the price tag had nearly doubled to $130 million, according to NJ.com.
When it reopens, the venue is expected to host roughly 150 events annually, including live music, comedy, touring performances, sporting events, and community and educational programming.
“The Loew’s Jersey Theatre is a symbol of Jersey City’s past and future. For decades, Journal Square has been the heart of our city, home to working families, immigrants, and dreamers, and this restoration is a testament to their resilience and to the neighborhood they never gave up on,” Mayor James Solomon said.
“The Friends of Loews fought to bring this iconic Wonder Theatre back to life—proving that communities thrive when properly invested in.”
OTJ Architects is restoring both the exterior and interior while modernizing the stage, backstage, and public areas. The orchestra level floor is being reconfigured with flexible tiers that can be arranged for seated shows or cleared for general admission. Off the Record Collective is handling the interiors for the artist and backstage spaces.
Additionally, the rear of the theater will feature an upgraded loading dock and expanded back-of-house support spaces, along with enhancements to front-of-house areas.
Restoration work is being reviewed by the Jersey City Historic Preservation Commission, the NJ Historic Preservation Office, and the National Park Service, and will meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Structures. Construction is overseen by Phelps Construction Group.
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