If you’ve spent any time walking through the Paulus Hook neighborhood of Jersey City, you've probably noticed it. It’s a massive, eight-story industrial building that looks like it belongs in a grainy black-and-white photo of 1920s manufacturing. That’s 95 Greene Street Jersey City. But don't let the brick facade fool you into thinking it's just another relic of the city’s shipping and packing past.
Inside? It’s basically a playground for the world’s most advanced biotech companies.
Honestly, the transformation of this specific address is a wild case study in how real estate works in 2026. For years, people just saw a warehouse. Then, Thor Equities—a big-name developer—realized that New York City was getting way too crowded and expensive for lab space. They looked across the Hudson and saw gold. They didn't just slap a coat of paint on it; they gutted the place to turn it into a Class A life sciences destination.
The Massive Pivot From Toothpaste to T-Cells
You might not know this, but this building used to be a primary manufacturing plant for Colgate-Palmolive. Think about that for a second. The same floors where scientists are now sequencing genomes used to be covered in toothpaste and soap suds.
The history matters because industrial buildings are built like tanks.
When you’re running a lab, you can't have the floor vibrating every time a truck drives by. You need massive "floor loads." 95 Greene Street Jersey City has floors that can support up to 250 pounds per square foot. Most modern office buildings would literally buckle under that weight. That’s why these old-school industrial structures are suddenly the hottest commodity in the "Jersey City Gold Coast" market.
SGA, the architecture firm behind the redesign, had to figure out how to take a structure from 1910 and make it handle the insane electrical and HVAC needs of a modern lab. We're talkin' 13-to-15-foot ceiling heights. That’s not for aesthetics. It’s because lab equipment and specialized air filtration systems take up a ton of vertical space.
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Why Jersey City Beats Manhattan for Biotech
It’s about the "ecosystem." That’s a buzzword people use too much, but here, it actually fits.
If you're a startup or an established pharma giant, being in Jersey City gives you a weirdly specific advantage. You're five minutes from the World Trade Center via the PATH train, but you aren't paying Manhattan’s "vanity tax." Plus, Jersey City has been incredibly aggressive with zoning. They want these companies here.
The building itself offers about 350,000 square feet of space. That’s huge. In a city where every inch is fought over, having that kind of footprint is a luxury.
Then there’s the talent. Look at the map. You’re sandwiched between NYU and Columbia to the north and Princeton and Rutgers to the south. 95 Greene Street Jersey City sits right in the middle of that "brain drain" corridor. It’s a magnet for researchers who want to live in a walkable neighborhood like Paulus Hook but work on cutting-edge oncology or CRISPR tech.
What's Actually Inside the Building?
The infrastructure is the boring part that makes the cool part possible.
Let's talk about the MEP—mechanical, electrical, plumbing. Most people skip this, but if you’re an investor or a tenant, this is all you care about. Thor Equities installed a modular lab-ready infrastructure. This means a company can move in and start working almost immediately rather than waiting two years to build out their own specialized power grid.
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- Dual-feed power. If one grid goes down, the samples in the -80 degree freezers don't melt.
- Dedicated service elevators. You don't want a scientist carrying hazardous materials or sensitive equipment in the same elevator as a delivery guy with a pizza.
- Centralized pH neutralization. You can't just pour lab chemicals down a standard drain. The building handles the "dirty work" of waste management before it ever hits the city sewers.
It’s basically a plug-and-play setup. You bring your microscopes and your PhDs; the building does the rest.
The Real Estate Reality Check
Is it all perfect? Not necessarily.
The life sciences market is famously volatile. In late 2023 and throughout 2024, the sector saw a bit of a cooling period globally as venture capital dried up. Some critics wondered if Jersey City was overbuilding. But as we move further into 2026, the demand for "amenitized" lab space—meaning labs that actually look nice and have rooftop terraces—is surging again.
95 Greene Street Jersey City leans heavily into the lifestyle aspect. It has a rooftop lounge with views of the Statue of Liberty. It sounds cheesy, but it matters for recruiting. If you’re a 28-year-old genius choosing between a basement lab in a suburban office park or a waterfront loft-style lab in Jersey City, you’re picking the one near the bars and the PATH station every single time.
Navigating the Paulus Hook Neighborhood
If you're visiting for a meeting or looking at the space, you have to understand the vibe of the area. Paulus Hook is the "quiet" part of Jersey City, which is exactly why it works for research. It’s not the chaotic energy of Grove Street. It’s brownstones, cobblestone streets, and high-end coffee shops like Semicolon Cafe.
Parking is a nightmare. Don't even try.
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The building is a short walk from the Exchange Place PATH and the NY Waterway ferry. Most of the professionals working at 95 Greene Street are commuting from Brooklyn, Manhattan, or the surrounding Jersey City Heights. It’s a very "urban-industrial" lifestyle.
What This Means for the Future of Jersey City
This building is a pioneer. It proved that the "Gold Coast" isn't just for back-office finance jobs or luxury condos. It’s becoming a legitimate tech hub.
We’re seeing a cluster effect. When one building like 95 Greene succeeds, others follow. It’s why you’re seeing more life science developments popping up in the Liberty Innovation District near Liberty State Park. It started here.
Actionable Steps for Investors and Tenants
If you are looking at 95 Greene Street Jersey City from a business or investment perspective, here is what you need to focus on:
For Potential Tenants:
Check the "pre-built" suite availability. Thor Equities often keeps smaller, move-in-ready lab spaces for startups that aren't ready for a 50,000-square-foot lease. This allows you to scale without the massive upfront CAPEX of a custom build-out.
For Real Estate Observers:
Watch the "absorption rate" in the Jersey City life science sector. While 95 Greene is a flagship, its success depends on the continued growth of the New Jersey biotech tax credit programs. These incentives are the grease that keeps the wheels turning for the local economy.
For the Community:
Expect the neighborhood to continue its "upscaling" trend. The presence of high-salary biotech workers naturally drives up the demand for premium retail and dining. If you're a local business owner, your target demographic just shifted from "finance commuter" to "biotech researcher."
The story of 95 Greene Street isn't just about real estate. It's about how a city reinvented itself by looking at its old, heavy-duty bones and realizing they were perfect for the future of medicine. It’s a weird mix of 1910 grit and 2026 tech, and honestly, it’s working.