As buildings move up, memorial moves out

Saturday, October 07, 2006

By EARL MORGAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Journal Square 9/11 memorial fountain memorial and the "Circle of Heroes" around it may have to make way for the proposed development of two high-rise buildings on the block once occupied by the Hotel-on-the-Square, Jersey City Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Bob Antonicello said.

Antonicello said the fountain, which has the names of Jersey City residents killed in the 9/11 attacks engraved on it, and the "Circle of Heroes" paving stones around the fountain, may have to be removed temporarily so construction workers can gain access to utility lines buried under the site.

"If the fountain has to be temporarily removed and stored it will be at the developer's expense," Antonicello said.

However, Lowell Harwood, the Journal Square businessman who was designated in March as the developer for the project, refused to comment as to where the fountain and paving stones will be located once the project is completed.

Harwood signed a contract to purchase the property in January from New York real estate investor Ralph Tawil Jr., who owed the city millions in fire and building code fines. The Hotel-on-the-Square, a burned-out hulk that had been an eyesore for years, has been demolished, as have several other buildings on the square.

Harwood's project will include high-rise apartments, with retail stores at street level and an underground parking garage. The development might also include a hotel next to the Journal Square Transportation Center, Harwood said.

The fountain, a kiosk and gazebo, were built on the square a decade ago, using funds from a $14 million federal grant the city received with the stipulation that the facilities constructed would be maintained in perpetuity as open space.

Harwood reportedly said he hopes to begin construction by January. According to Antonicello, construction could take between 18 and 24 months, and will likely cause a considerable disruption to pedestrian traffic.