Thanksgiving may have been last week, but in Trenton, New Jersey, many are still giving thanks. The local zoning board recently gave the final approval to plans from architecture firm JZA+D to create a new base of operations for nonprofit Homeworks Trenton, which provides room and board for young women to enable them to take full advantage of their high school academic opportunities and develop new paths for the future.
On “Giving Tuesday,” stakeholders in this important project held an informational breakfast at the Nassau Club in nearby Princeton, New Jersey, to kick off a new round of fundraising. When construction is complete, the project will effectively quadruple Homeworks Trenton’s capacity.
JZA+D founder and managing partner Joshua Zinder, AIA, is helping lead the effort in Trenton’s Parkside neighborhood to renovate and expand an existing three-story house dating back to the 1740s. Specializing in residential architecture and adaptive reuse — including for municipalities where increased density and atypical changes to existing neighborhoods often meet resistance — Zinder’s designs for Homeworks Trenton include additions and interior transformations to accommodate up to 40 scholars plus associated staff, approximately four times the program’s current capacity.
Photo courtesy of JZA+D
Working closely with Homeworks Trenton founder Natalie Tung over the last several years, Princeton-based JZA+D helped to identify a viable property to adapt and then designed the renovation and expansion as well as the master plan for the mini-campus. Originally a farmhouse, the residential structure at 1212 Edgewood Avenue served for almost a century as a “mission house,” providing support and opportunity for at-risk and disadvantaged young women — and then for another 20+ years as a Juvenile Justice Commission facility — making its repurposing for Homeworks Trenton all the more fitting.
Photo courtesy of JZA+D
Though it had been vacant for some years and suffered some damage from fire and squatters, Zinder says it had the right mix of potential and location — just 10 minutes from nearby public middle and high schools that Homeworks beneficiaries attend.
As architect, he has also shepherded the project through a complicated approval process for Homeworks Trenton to reach the next phase of its service to the community, and even helped to secure $2 million in critical funding through frequent collaborator and finance broker George Gnad. This accelerated the project, making it possible to increase the number of beds now rather than plan for a future additional expansion.
Photo courtesy of JZA+D
The design increases the usable square footage on the site from 9,000 square feet to more than 15,000 square feet while maintaining the building’s house-scale residential profile. When complete, Homeworks’ new home will include dorm rooms for 40 scholars and apartments for a live-in house director, an assistant house director and three additional live-in staff, plus a variety of work-study areas, a full kitchen and an elevator for ADA compliance. The master plan includes arrangements for on-site parking, bus pickup and drop-off, and space for the development of outdoor learning experiences that take advantage of the site’s adjacency to the Delaware Raritan Canal State Park Trail pedestrian walkway.
Photo courtesy of JZA+D
“One of the reasons for starting my own practice was to do work that meaningfully impacts the communities where we live and work,” Zinder said. “Our growth and success in recent years has paved the way for more opportunities like this one. Through Homeworks, Natalie and her team every day make direct, positive and lasting impacts on the lives of these young women by providing support for their academic pursuits and space for them to study, be productive and just have fun. The benefits redound not only to them, but to their families and communities as well.”
“It’s a privilege to apply our team’s time and skills to such an important endeavor,” Zinder added.
The informational breakfast at the Nassau Club in Princeton, co-hosted by Zinder and Gnad, followed the recent final site plan approval and aimed to generate awareness and attract additional philanthropic donations.
