NEW {Art and Event Space} Coming to Hoboken!

“Imagine Bruce Springsteen performing. We can bring that to Hoboken!” Karen Nason cannot contain her excitement as she shares with us her new project to bring an Art & Culture Space to Hoboken. Karen is a long-time Hoboken resident and business owner who cares so deeply for Hoboken she even joined the 2017 Mayoral Race. But Karen’s first love is music. So much so, that she has sold her businesses, Hoboken Hot House and Hot House Pizza, to dedicate her full time and energy to this venture.

Her vision? Turn the Historic Church of the Holy Innocents, located on 6th and Willow, into a beautiful concert venue for Jazz, Opera, Rock n’ Roll; even an events space for weddings and parties. Renovating a church into a space for arts and culture is innovative and proven successful – think of Chelsea’s Limelight building.

Most of us recognize this Gothic cathedral from their impressive Christmas Tree lot every November and December. Or, perhaps you have attended their monthly market hosted by Rummage and Ruffage. But most of us are unaware of the old world beauty contained inside; magnificent stained glass windows and acoustics just waiting to be brought back to life. The Church of the Innocents was built in 1871 by the Stevens family in remembrance of their daughter, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. While the Church is no longer used as a congregation, the space is rented for local events and weddings.

Karen is partnering with David Tornabene and Allen Kratz. Mr. Tornabene is on the board of the Mile Square Theatre Company, and Mr. Kratz is on the board for the Hoboken Library, in addition to being an expert in historic renovations. The team has hired an architect and masonry expert, working hard to get the church in shape to hold large-scale events. The biggest project right now is fundraising! The team will be working diligently to spread the word to generate interest and funds. Stay tuned as this amazing restoration project unfolds!

Featured image courtesy of jerseydigs.com.

Written by Krista Behr

A tri-state native and Hoboken resident of 3 years, Krista has made it her mission to leave her mark on all the photo booths in town. A pop culture fanatic, you can always count on her to know the name of that guy who starred in that movie…on the Disney channel…15 years ago. Krista is constantly trying to find the balance between answering FOMO’s siren call and her inner desire to binge-watch the latest show for 18 hours straight. Similar to Starburst, she is a walking contradiction.