April 3, 2025
One of the oldest buildings in Jersey City is about to change hands. The Summit House, located at 510 Summit Avenue just steps from the Journal Square PATH station, will be auctioned off this May. The three story, 6,800 square foot building dates all the way back to the 17th century, making it a truly rare offering in a city where so much is being built new.
The entirely vacant structure carries a storied past and, with the right buyer, a promising future in one of Jersey City’s fastest growing neighborhoods. Bobby Antonicello Jr. and Andrew Crisara of GRID Commercial Real Estate are handling the sale through the Ten-X digital auction platform on LoopNet. Bidding runs from May 5th to May 7th and opens at $350,000.
“The Summit House is a nearly 7,000 square foot commercial building that sits steps away from the busiest PATH stop in New Jersey, with more than 6 million people passing through last year. It’s surrounded by thousands of new residential units, with thousands more to come,” said Bobby Antonicello Jr., Manager and Owner of GRID Commercial Real Estate. “It’s incredibly unique to have such an historic asset like this even come on the market. This is a very, very unique opportunity for somebody.”
A House With Roots in Dutch Jersey City
The Summit House was originally known as the Newkirk House, built in 1690 by Mattheus Cornelissen Newkirk, a Dutch immigrant who had arrived in the area in 1659. At the time, the neighborhood was known as Bergen, and even after the British took control of New Netherland in 1665, the local community stayed rooted in Dutch tradition.
The home was originally a single story structure with two foot thick walls made of sandstone, limestone and mortar. Eight inch wood pegs still hold together the massive wood beams that frame the building, a construction method that has kept it standing for more than three centuries.
From Family Home to Neighborhood Landmark
The Newkirk family held onto the house for nearly two centuries as Jersey City grew and changed around it, finally selling the Dutch Colonial home in 1889. In the early 1900s, the building was deeded to the Queen’s Daughters Day Nursery Association, which used it to provide childcare for working mothers. Over the following decades, it was home to a series of retail businesses, including a tailor shop, a lingerie store and a tavern.
The building earned a spot on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places in 1979 and soon after became the Summit House restaurant. A string of restaurants followed, including Blue Ribbon, a seafood spot, Laico’s at the Summit House, an Italian restaurant, and finally Sanai’s, an American and Caribbean restaurant owned by Jersey City native and former NBA player Terry Dehere. The building has sat vacant since Sanai’s closed.
Why the Timing Makes Sense
The Summit House’s next chapter comes at a moment of major growth around Journal Square. Just to the immediate south and east, the 0.8 acre lot known as 500 Summit is approved for a high-rise tower with as many as 900 units. Nearby, plans are also in place to redevelop the DMV office at 438 Summit Avenue into two 25-story, mixed-use towers with 709 units combined.
With easy access to PATH trains, buses and major highways, the surrounding neighborhood is well suited for commuters heading into Manhattan or elsewhere in New Jersey, which continues to draw both residents and investment to the area.
For a building with this much history, and this much new development rising around it, the Summit House auction represents a rare chance to own a piece of Jersey City’s past while positioning for what the neighborhood becomes next.
