I have lived in The Union Building (TUB) aka Clinton Street Lofts for over 4 years and it's going…read moreto be difficult to leave for many reasons including all the new development around and the building manager Denice. Over the years Denice has been very flexible allowing me to redo our bathroom and more recently she has replaced our carpets and made sure our dishwasher was fixed. When I think about moving below are reasons that keep me at The Union Building.
LIVING - The building is pretty quiet and everyone really stays to them self. Typically there is someone at the front desk from 7pm to 7am, but the cameras are rolling all day and the building manager, Denice checks them all the time. At times, it can be a bit difficult to get in contact with Denice, because she manages a handful of other properties in North Jersey but, if you email her she responds immediately and does her best to ensure your needs are addressed in a timely manner. Also, you can typically find her in the office from 9am-5pm located in the basement past the laundry room, gym and 1920's style boiler!
LOCATION - Located in the heart of downtown Newark, there's no need for a car. If you do have a car, TUB is less than 5 minutes from the major highways like the garden state parkway, njturnpike, routes 1&9 and 78. Although, there is no parking on the street, there are a few parking lots around that offer decent monthly rates compared to Hoboken, Jersey City and NY.
Within a two block walking radius there's Seton Hall Law, Rutgers School of Business, all the Prudential buildings including the Center where NJ Devil's play, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the newly developed Military Park, booming bars and restaurants i.e. Dinosaur BBQ, LOFT 47, Chipotle, among many other delicious places; and most importantly for those without a car, Newark Penn Station.
Homeless, deranged folk aside Newark Penn Station is a major hub for all forms of public transportation; PATH, NJ TRANSIT train and bus, AMTRAK, Greyhound, and my favorite Bolt Bus are all a 7 minute walk away. From the bustling station, Midtown Manhattan is less than 25 mins away on PATH or NJ Transit and the Amtrak Acela reaches DC in less than 3 hours. If you need to go to the airport the go28 around the corner from TUB on Broad and Market Street gets you to any terminal in about 15 minutes for $1.50 !!!! Which brings me to my next point....
AFFORDABLE - Compared to most other properties in the area, TUB are the most affordable per sq. ft and also offer the most square footage around that I've seen. now I'm estimating but, one bedrooms are as small 600 sq ft and the largest 2 bedroom is 1100sq ft. and I believe the apartments range from $1100 to $1900 - opposed to other building nearby that charge almost twice that for half the space.
ARCHITECTURE- A Pre-War building so the exterior and common area details and quality are always a pleasant conversation starter for guests who are partial to Newark.
If Clinton Street Loft's had a roof top deck, washer dryer in apartments, and took better care of the outside structure you would be looking at 5 stars, but since the rooftop is covered in solar panels, I lug my laundry to the basement and our windows haven't been washed ever- I felt 3 stars was "A-OK".