On January 8th, 2024 the Hoboken Historic Preservation Commission kicked off 2024 with its first meeting of the year, which included a vote concerning the future of a well-known Hoboken home. At the meeting, the Commission heard a petition to demolish the home located at 206 3rd Street, which was built in 1840. Perhaps more notable than the home’s age is its former resident: Jim Hans, the founder of the Hoboken Historical Museum. After a delayed vote, the Commission ultimately approved the proposal to demolish the historic home. For a final goodbye, there was two estate sales at the home in February and March, featuring Jim’s collection of art and other Hoboken-related ephemera. Now, residents who live around the historic home have received notice about the demolition, meaning that work will likely start soon. Read on to learn about Jim’s legacy and what’s next for the Mile Square property.
August 2024 Update
Per Patch Hoboken, residents received a letter dated July 18th from RS Development, saying it plans to demolish and rebuild the home. Per the letter, notice had to be given to adjacent property owners seven days before “construction activity.” We will update this piece as more information becomes available.
About Jim Hans
Jim Hans passed away on January 1st, 2023 at age 87 after a long life, marked by his contributions to the Hoboken community. Jim was an artist, a collector, a historian, and a storyteller. He arrived in Hoboken in 1966, following a cross-country journey that brought him eastward in 1959 to NYC for art school after being a cook in the Air Force.
^ Jim + Beverly Hans at the May 2007 Music + Arts Festival in Hoboken. Photo Credit: Hoboken Historical Museum
Jim was a trained artist who specialized in painting and collages, and it was art that led him to Hoboken. While living in NYC, Jim and his soon-to-be-wife Beverly were invited to an art gallery opening in Hoboken. They visited and fell in love with the town, picking out an apartment the day after visiting for the first time.
Read More: The Stories Behind Old Hoboken Signage
In 1966, Beverly and Jim got married and opened an antique store in town, located on Newark Avenue. While running the store, Jim got to know many locals, and hearing their stories gave him a deeper understanding of what made Hoboken so special.
Jim’s art was always in the background. His love for Hoboken and his appreciation for visual arts led him to founding the Hoboken Museum in 1986. It was a natural next step for his collection of Hoboken-related ephemera, which included pictures, slides, articles, artwork, advertisements, etc. He was the museum’s president until 1991.
^ The cover of 100 Hoboken Firsts by Jim Hans. Photo Credit: Hoboken Historical Museum
In 2005, he wrote a book called 100 Hoboken Firsts, a collection of Jim’s 100 favorite Hoboken ‘firsts’. According to Jim, Hoboken has more ‘firsts’ than any other square-mile town. The art and photos featured in the book are from Jim’s collection. Following his death, in 2023 the Hoboken Historical Museum installed a plaque in Jim’s honor.
Back in February, there was an estate sale at the historic home featuring Jim’s collection of art and other artifacts. A subsequent estate took place in the middle of March.
About the Home
The home at 206 3rd Street was built in 1840, according to a Zillow listing. The two-story, farmhouse-style home has a blue siding exterior and a screened-in porch the width of the house on the first floor. Many residents will recall seeing the porch decorated for various holidays.
The application merely reports ‘demolition’ as the desired plan. The Hoboken Girl has reached out to attorneys affiliated with the application to learn more about the future of the site and will update this piece with any additional comments.
^ The exterior of 206 3rd Street in Hoboken. Photo Credit: Nastasi Architect’s Historic Presentation
As part of the materials for the January 8th vote, an engineer’s report surveying the site was submitted. A survey was conducted in September 2023, and the report is stark in its findings. “After reviewing the level of structural deficiencies found at the site, it is this office’s opinion that the building is in an advanced state of disrepair and would be too costly to repair or bring up to current standards. It is recommended that the building be vacated and then demolished.” The report went on to mention the building’s cracked foundation, sloped floorboards, wooden beams in bad shape, and other serious structural issues.
Back in January, the Commission decided to delay the vote, requesting “an exact dollar figure for the renovations the house would require to meet regulation standards,” per TapInto. Accordingly, the Commission carried the decision to the next meeting, on February 5th, “when the applicant’s team would provide them with a dollar figure for the cost of renovation.”
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At the February 5th meeting, the Historic Preservation Commission approved the application to demolish the home, despite protests from local residents. City spokeswoman Marilyn Baer told TapInto “the proposal was approved in a 5-to-2 vote after after evidence presented by the applicant showed the extreme deterioration of the structure was substantial.” According to TapInto, The prospective buyer of the house is Steven McFarland, who submitted the application to demolish it. What’s next for the home is yet to be determined.
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Hoboken-WTC PATH Service Suspended During Thursday Evening Commute
One week prior to its official closure of the Hoboken PATH station for a month due to repairs, the PATH has suspended service on its Hoboken-WTC line. The shutdown took place on Thursday, January 23, 2025 during the evening commute. PATH service between Hoboken and the World Trade Center was suspended through the evening rush hour on Thursday due to ongoing repairs, the Port Authority shared on social media. Local residents submitted a variety of imagery to @thehobokengirl, which shows massive lines and crowds at the World Trade Center PATH Station (we share more on Instagram).
^Photo submitted anonymously by a reader
A broken rail was reported on the line between Exchange Place and the World Trade Center, which caused some of the disruption. The Port Authority reported that Newark-to-WTC trains were operating on a 20-minute delay, while Hoboken-to-33rd Street and JSQ-to-33rd Street remain in service.
HOB-WTC, suspended. NWK-WTC operating with delays. Crew reported a broken rail between EXPL, WTC. NJT rail is cross honoring PATH at HOB, NWK, NYPS, HBLR. Next update w/in 15m. We apologize for the inconvenience.
— PATH Alerts (@PATHAlerts) January 23, 2025
The Port Authority posted the above earlier January 25th in the evening hours.
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^The above was submitted by a reader anonymously, and is the current evening situation if you're reading this as of 530PM on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
This news comes as Hoboken is about to have a 25-day shut-down of PATH station service from the Mile Square, due to repairs being conducted by NJ Transit. MORE DETAILS HERE.
This is a developing story, and will be updated with any further info.
