Arts & Entertainment
Loew’s Jersey Theatre Reopens After $130 Million Restoration
City, county and state officials cut the ribbon on the restored Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Journal Square on Monday, Nov. 9, reopening the 1929 movie palace after a $130 million restoration and more than 40 years of limited use.
“It is truly a gem for Jersey City, and I can’t wait for all of our residents to come and get to experience the incredible Loew’s Theatre as it is today,” Mayor James Solomon said.
Solomon said the reopening marks the return of the centerpiece of Journal Square, which he said “should and can be the cultural capital of the city.” He described the theater as a palace for the people.
“We are in the most diverse neighborhood in the city and country, and that means every community is going to find a home here,” Solomon said.
Solomon presented a special recognition to Friends of the Loew’s, the volunteer nonprofit that worked for decades to save and preserve the theater. He also announced that the mayor’s holiday concert, the theater’s first community event, will be free to the public on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
“Journal Square is back,” said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, who said the county contributed more than $1.7 million in open space and historic preservation funds to the project.
Guy recalled seeing “The French Connection,” “Shaft” and “Jaws” at the Loew’s, back when its sound system was among the best around.
“I myself would take the Central Avenue bus down here, 50 cents,” Guy said. “This has been a long time coming.”
Pat Kelleher, president of the Hudson County Building and Construction Trades Council, said the restoration was done by union workers under a project labor agreement, from the plaster ceilings to the wiring and HVAC.
“To the working class people of Hudson County, it’s a promise,” Kelleher said of the agreement.
Council President Denise Ridley, who also chairs the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, thanked the staff and workers who made the reopening possible.
“Years of history come alive today,” Ridley said.
Ward C Councilman Thomas Zuppa Jr. welcomed the crowd to Journal Square and recalled seeing “Casablanca” on the big screen at the Loew’s with his wife years ago, back when some believed the building was not worth saving.
Annisia Cialone, director of the city’s Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce, credited coordination among city, county and state agencies. She said she toured the theater during construction “on the scaffolding all the way to the roof.”
“This is a really special day for Jersey City,” Cialone said.
Paul Ceppi, chief tax credit and incentives officer for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, said his mother told him his grandmother used to go to the Loew’s. The restoration was a collaboration between the JCRA, the NJEDA and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which operates the venue.
HBSE said the work is not finished. The grand lobby chandelier and historic organ are being repaired and will return in the coming months, along with a new movie screen for a community film program. Those final pieces are expected to be in place in 2027.
The Loew’s opened in 1929 as one of five “Wonder Theatres” in the region. It seats about 2,600 people and can hold up to 4,000 for standing-room events, PIX11 reported.
The theater’s first show is the Trey Anastasio Band on Friday, Nov. 13, followed by The War On Drugs on Saturday, Nov. 14. The lineup also includes Jodeci on Nov. 18, Derek Hough’s Dance For The Holidays on Dec. 8, Unwrapped: An Acoustic Holiday on Dec. 9, Christmas with Chris Tomlin on Dec. 10, Chelsea Handler on Dec. 12, Nimbus Dance’s “Jersey Nutcracker” on Dec. 19, Jeff Dunham on Jan. 9, Gary Owen on Jan. 23, Jimmy O. Yang on Feb. 27, Matthew West on May 1 and World of Warcraft: 20 Years of Music on May 8.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and LoewsJersey.com.
