Former North Jersey hospital now an apartment building. Here are the details
PASSAIC — It has taken years, but the conversion of the former St. Mary's Hospital on Pennington Avenue into an apartment building appears to be complete.
In recent weeks, the redevelopers for the property, Pennington Passaic, LLC, have been advertising that 147 units, a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, are available to rent. They've renamed the property The Pennington.
"We are thrilled to announce the sale and conversion of the old St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic into higher-end apartments," Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said.
The monthly rents for the three apartment sizes, as listed on the Pennington website, are $1,950 for one bedroom, $2,650 for two bedrooms and $3,500 for a three bedroom.
The management group is offering a number of enticements, including luxury appliances, fitness centers, fast Wi-Fi, washers and dryers, electric car chargers, pet-friendly units and controlled access. The listings are being managed by the Dwell Realty group of Nutley.
Old building
Attempts to adapt the hospital at Pennington and Aycrigg avenues into apartments date back to March 1, 2007, when St. Mary's Hospital took over nearby PBI (Passaic Beth Israel) Regional Medical Center on Boulevard. St. Mary's moved most of its operations to the Boulevard site and put its former building up for sale.
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The 211 Pennington Ave. building served as a hospital from about 1898 until 2007.
The conversion came after the city designated the former hospital's 4.88 acres in need of redevelopment. The property changed owners several times until it was purchased by Pennington Passaic, LLC, in 2012 for $6.5 million and the adjacent parking lot for $450,000.
More recently, local real estate officials said a sale might be in works for the LLC to sell the property, but officials told NorthJersey.com and The Record that it was not yet a done deal yet.
Enticements
To entice the redevelopment of a deteriorating site, which just a few years ago had crumbling brickwork and boarded-over windows, the city agreed in 2020 to a long-term tax exemption for Pennington Passaic LLC.
"It is better than it lying fallow," Passaic City Council President Gary Schaer said shortly after the council passed the 2020 financial agreement with Pennington Passaic.
This transformation provides new living opportunities and puts the building on the tax rolls, “contributing to the economic growth of our city,” Lora said Monday.
In conjunction with this, the city of Passaic is set to welcome nearly 500 new apartments within the next year, he said, with a gamut of housing options including under-market, market-rate and higher-end units.
With the recent adoption of its historic affordable housing law, Passaic is creating more opportunities for the community and especially its youths, Lora said.
"Every year, we see over 500 graduates from our high schools embarking on their journeys into the world," he said. "These initiatives not only help in retaining our brightest talents within the city but also attract job creators, business owners, and professionals seeking a vibrant community to call home."
St. Mary’s General Hospital: a brief history
The city was once home to three hospitals. Health care in recent years changed, and so did the hospitals. In 2000, Atlantic Health System bought Passaic General Hospital, and four years later it sold the facility to Passaic Beth Israel Hospital, which renamed the newly formed hospital PBI Regional Medical Center.
When PBI Regional declared bankruptcy in early 2007, local representatives petitioned New Jersey to be allowed to consolidate all operations as St. Mary's General Hospital.
In March 2007, St. Mary’s combined the staff of all three hospitals into one team under the corporate umbrella of St. Mary’s General Hospital. The new entity is at 350 Boulevard, the former PBI Regional Medical Center.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic finally converted into apartments
