Monroe Center, Hoboken, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

Monroe Center is a converted industrial complex at 720 Monroe Street on the western side of Hoboken, New Jersey. Once a factory site, it is now a mixed place to live, work and gather, and it shows how Hoboken reinvented its old industrial streets.

The story behind it

The site began as the home of the Levolor blinds factory, a manufacturer that was a major presence here for many years. In 1985 a large fire hit the complex, and the factory era effectively came to an end.

After the fire, the empty buildings drew artists and community members. Studios opened inside, and the place became somewhere people worked and met. Developers later saw the potential too. Because the low-lying site is prone to flooding, it needed extensive environmental cleanup before the current version of Monroe Center could be built. Today it works as a living, working and cultural center for the western edge of the city.

What to look for

• Notice how the scale of the buildings still feels industrial, a reminder that this was once a factory district and not a residential street.
• Look at the mix of uses around the complex, where homes, workplaces and cultural space sit side by side.
• Pay attention to how low and flat the surrounding blocks are, which helps explain why flooding shaped the cleanup and rebuilding of the site.
• Compare the feel of Monroe Street with the busier Washington Street and the waterfront, and you can read how different parts of Hoboken grew up.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 15 to 20 minutes to look around the outside and the nearby streets, longer if you want to see what is open inside.
• Daylight is best for seeing the buildings and the character of the neighborhood. Check current opening hours for any shops, studios or events inside.
• The area is on the quieter western side of town, so combine it with a longer walk toward Washington Street, Hoboken's main street, for food and coffee.
• Wear comfortable shoes, as getting here from the waterfront or the train station means a decent walk through residential blocks.

See it on a quest

Reach Monroe Center on foot as one stop of Shadows of Hoboken: The Syndicate Files, a self-guided quest through the city. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look closely at the buildings instead of walking past them. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join. The quest is paid, and one ticket covers the whole group.