Last week, ground was broken on the site of a new Jersey City school. BelovED Community Charter School is building a new middle school at 535 Grand Street. The organization, currently serving 960 students, is named to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for a “Beloved Community.” New Jersey Community Capital and Provident Bank have given $12.5 million for construction financing of the project. Friends 2 and Hollister Construction Services are responsible for the development.
BelovED Middle School groundbreaking group, photo by Melanie Unice Photography
The four-story structure will yield 53,000 square feet within, for grades six through nine. Students will have outdoor recreational facilities, a parking lot, 20 full-sized classrooms, four half-sized classrooms, gym, multipurpose room, and cafeteria.
Urbahn Architects is responsible for the design. The design includes a cantilevered section on the second floor above the parking lot. Energy efficiency had been considered for the project, including LED lights, thermal insulation, and low-emissivity windows. Classrooms will have vinyl composite tile floors with color patterns.
The Head Coach of Hollister, Chris Johnson, made the following statement about the project.
We are very excited to once again be collaborating with BelovED and Urbahn Architects on the delivery of this new middle school. We love being part of these projects because we know how important it is for families and their children to have access to a great educational facility. The children are our future and there is no better feeling than to know that new leaders are being raised in the schools we build.
Now that construction is underway, completion is expected by the summer of 2019.
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