The Loew's Jersey Theatre Is Coming Back: What Journal Square Neighbors Should Know Before Opening Weekend

In its early years, the Loew's Jersey Theatre hosted Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway in front of audiences of more than 3,000, according to NJ.com. When it reopens on Friday, November 13, the same 1929 building will be able to hold as many as 4,000. The theater's own guidance doesn't mention a lot of its own. It sends guests to the Journal Square Transportation Center across the street and to private lots within walking distance.

So for people living near the theater, the reopening means more than a restored landmark. On show nights a crowd the size of a small town will come up out of the PATH and walk along JFK Boulevard, and the plazas, cafes and shops around the square will effectively serve as the theater's lobby. Opening weekend is three weeks away, and here is how it is set up.

A 1929 movie palace rebuilt for standing crowds

The biggest change is on the ground floor, where the fixed seats are gone. Colin Egan, director of Friends of the Loew's, told NJ.com in March that the orchestra level can now host general-admission and standing-room shows, and portable seating can be brought in for other performances. That lets the room hold anywhere from about 2,600 to 4,000 guests. In the same report, Egan said the goal is that "it is going to be as if you are stepping into the theater on September 28, 1929."

The restoration aims to keep the 1929 look even as the floor plan changes. The original drapes and red velvet valances are being replicated and put back. The marquee, grand lobby chandelier and historic light fixtures were restored off-site, and the pipe organ was protected and stays. Below the auditorium, a basement level that is now in use holds restrooms, concessions and the original 1929 stage light control board, which is on display. The city's Office of Cultural Affairs lists new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, a fire suppression system, full plaster and paint restoration, and full reconstruction of the north and south towers on the facade.

The project also cost much more than first planned. Here is how the estimate grew in the public record:

For the overhaul, Jersey City signed a lease agreement with Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, which also runs events at the Prudential Center in Newark, along with Phelps Construction Group. Harris Blitzer now runs the commercial calendar. Booking a room that can fit 4,000 standing guests is what makes the first season below possible.

The first season, night by night

ROI-NJ reported the opening lineup in mid-September, and the theater's events calendar has the full schedule.

Four of the first eight dates fall on weeknights, Tuesday through Thursday. That matters for anyone who parks on the street or commutes through Journal Square, because show crowds won't be limited to weekends. The Nutcracker on December 19 comes from Nimbus Dance, a Jersey City company, which is an early sign that the stage will host local arts groups as well as touring acts. "Our goal is to make the theatre a home for unforgettable moments across genres and generations, in Jersey and beyond," Will Langolf, the theater's senior manager of booking, told ROI-NJ.

Transit first, so the square becomes the lobby

The theater's visitor FAQ strongly encourages public transit. It points to the Journal Square Transportation Center directly across the street, with PATH service from Hoboken, Manhattan and Newark plus regional buses. For drivers, the FAQ lists only privately owned commercial lots within walking distance. On event days the box office opens two hours before doors, subject to ticket availability.

Those two hours will bring a lot of people onto the sidewalks around the square. The sidewalk itself has been changing as well. In a May 29 construction update, the city said a new sidewalk and marquee would go in starting in early July, and that pedestrians on JFK Boulevard would walk in the parking lane for the rest of the project.

The neighborhood got a preview of large crowds this summer. As NJBIZ reported in August, the June 21 World Cup watch party drew thousands of people to Bergen Square. The Journal Square Special Improvement District said visitation that day was up 150% from the same day a year earlier. SID Executive Director Chris Bernardo told NJBIZ that one bar owner saw sales jump 60% on event days. The SID also helped run a match-day festival at Magnolia Landing on June 27.

Both of those gathering places are new. "When you look at Bergen Square a couple years ago, it was a parking lot," SID Programming Manager Victoria Pacheco told NJBIZ, adding that kids now play soccer there regularly. Magnolia Landing is a community plaza built by KRE Group as part of the 1,838-unit Journal Squared development. Taken together with the transit hub, the neighborhood now has outdoor space to absorb a crowd that it lacked the last time the Loew's was open.

Before the curtain, a block or two away

A sold-out 4,000-person night will send people looking for dinner beforehand, so the places the SID has been promoting are worth knowing:

• The Café at Journal Squared, 595 Pavonia Avenue. Coffee, espresso, baked goods, wraps and salads during the day, plus beer, wine and an evening food menu. NJ.com covered its After Hours menu launch in late June, with loaded nachos and Big Mac fries.
• Cangiano's Marketplace, 531 Summit Avenue. An Italian gourmet market and deli with sandwiches, hot prepared foods, cheeses, imported goods, pastries and cannoli. Jersey Digs reported its Journal Square opening in July 2025.
• Whealth. The local eatery Pacheco mentioned to NJBIZ as a place World Cup visitors could find "just right down the street."
• Conshinement, Bergen Avenue. A thrift and consignment shop. For the World Cup event it changed its hours and put its jerseys on sale outside, according to the SID's account to NJBIZ.

The SID's stated long-term goal is for one-time visitors to come back to the businesses they found on event day. With shows booked months ahead, that will happen far more often than a once-every-few-years tournament allowed.

The other calendar, run by neighbors

The Loew's has a second calendar alongside the touring shows. Friends of the Loew's formed in the late 1980s, when the building was slated for demolition. The group reopened it as a nonprofit arts venue in 2001 and spent about two decades restoring it, mostly with volunteers. According to NJ.com, the group will keep running affordable programming such as film screenings, community theater productions and art shows while the operator handles the big-ticket concerts. In a 2021 opinion piece, Friends described the agreement as providing more than 55 days of nonprofit programming a year, including care of the pipe organ. That was the plan as negotiated, and the post-reopening dates have not been posted yet.

Community groups that want to use the theater can contact the city at [email protected]. Ward C Councilperson Thomas Zuppa, Jr., who represents Journal Square, described the commitment this way to NJ.com: "It's really the theater for the people, and it's my job to make sure it is."

Details to sort out before opening night

A few rules in the theater's FAQ have deadlines or exceptions worth knowing in advance:

1. ASL interpretation needs at least three weeks' notice. For the November 13 opener, that means asking by about October 23. Assisted-listening devices are available at Guest Services, and you leave an ID as a deposit.
2. Accessible entry is at street level. An automatic door leads to the orchestra level, and an elevator serves the lower-level and Loge-lobby restrooms. Wheelchair-space tickets do not include a seat.
3. Children under 24 months can sit on an adult's lap without a ticket. Everyone 24 months and older needs a ticket, and guests under 16 must come with a parent or legal guardian.
4. Check the bag rules for your specific show. The FAQ gives two different size limits for bags and backpacks, so look up the current policy on the theater's site before you leave home.

General manager Bruce Wheeler told ROI-NJ the reopening "marks the beginning of a new era for live entertainment in Jersey City and the entire metropolitan region." Opening weekend begins Friday, November 13, at 54 Journal Square, across the street from the PATH.

If a 4,000-person theater opening up the block has you wondering what show nights will mean for your building, your rental or your plans to sell near Journal Square, the team at Elite NJ is happy to talk it through. Contact Us anytime.