Essex County auctions abandoned hospital used as filming site for 'A Beautiful Mind'
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Essex County auctions abandoned hospital used as filming site for 'A Beautiful Mind' was created by Vacant NJ
Essex County auctions abandoned hospital used as filming site for 'A Beautiful Mind'
By Eunice Lee/The Star-Ledger
on December 30, 2012 at 8:45 AM
The former isolation hospital in Belleville that later fell into disrepair sold at auction for $3.7 million, Essex County officials said.
The highest bidder for the sprawling 200,000-square-foot building — most recently used as the Garden State Cancer Center — was John Mavroudis of Alma Realty, based in Astoria, Queens.
The building, commonly called the "SoHo" property, sits on 9 acres at Belleville and Franklin avenues and was recently assessed at $3,739,000, according to the township.
Mavroudis, 35, said last week the deal hasn’t been finalized but said Alma Realty has no plans to demolish the historic building.
The facility, built in the early 20th century using distinct architecture on its brick facade, served as the backdrop of the 2001 film "A Beautiful Mind." Years earlier it housed a range of residents from isolation patients and orphans to the elderly before becoming New Jersey’s much-heralded first free-standing cancer research facility in 1996. The cancer center closed last year after federal funds for the nonprofit center ran dry. The center was foreclosed on after defaulting on a $5 million loan from the Essex County Improvement Authority.
"We’re aware of the historical significance for sure," Mavroudis said. "We’re looking for the best way to use what’s there. We don’t want to disturb anything."
For Belleville’s interim township manager, Kevin Esposito, that’s good news. The imposing brick building is part of the town’s landscape, he said.
"Everyone knows it on the horizon," he said.
Eight bidders attended the Dec. 21 auction, county spokesman Anthony Puglisi said, and Mavroudis said three bidders "went down to the wire."
Esposito believes the property attracted bidders because of its desirable location.
"Geographically, Belleville is located in a phenomenal location," he said. "It’s just outside of New York City, it’s near Newark, we’re nearby many highways."
The property is zoned for medical research, Esposito said.
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo praised the sale, saying it provides the county with revenue in a "time of fiscal stress."
"Auctioning the old SoHo property to a private owner offers an opportunity for economic development for Essex County and Belleville that contributes to the community and the local property-tax base," he said in a statement.
Mavroudis declined to comment on the developer’s plans for the site, but said Alma Realty has worked with historic medical sites. He cited a 2008 renovation by the company that converted a 1 million-square-foot interfaith hospital in Prospect Heights into apartments with some retail.
"We have to work with the municipality to see what’s the best development for everyone," he said of the Bellville hospital site.
The freeholder board still needs to approve the auction and then the county will hold public meetings in Belleville and Newark before another freeholder vote finalizes the sale, Puglisi said.
If all goes well, he said, the sale will be complete by spring.
By Eunice Lee/The Star-Ledger
on December 30, 2012 at 8:45 AM
The former isolation hospital in Belleville that later fell into disrepair sold at auction for $3.7 million, Essex County officials said.
The highest bidder for the sprawling 200,000-square-foot building — most recently used as the Garden State Cancer Center — was John Mavroudis of Alma Realty, based in Astoria, Queens.
The building, commonly called the "SoHo" property, sits on 9 acres at Belleville and Franklin avenues and was recently assessed at $3,739,000, according to the township.
Mavroudis, 35, said last week the deal hasn’t been finalized but said Alma Realty has no plans to demolish the historic building.
The facility, built in the early 20th century using distinct architecture on its brick facade, served as the backdrop of the 2001 film "A Beautiful Mind." Years earlier it housed a range of residents from isolation patients and orphans to the elderly before becoming New Jersey’s much-heralded first free-standing cancer research facility in 1996. The cancer center closed last year after federal funds for the nonprofit center ran dry. The center was foreclosed on after defaulting on a $5 million loan from the Essex County Improvement Authority.
"We’re aware of the historical significance for sure," Mavroudis said. "We’re looking for the best way to use what’s there. We don’t want to disturb anything."
For Belleville’s interim township manager, Kevin Esposito, that’s good news. The imposing brick building is part of the town’s landscape, he said.
"Everyone knows it on the horizon," he said.
Eight bidders attended the Dec. 21 auction, county spokesman Anthony Puglisi said, and Mavroudis said three bidders "went down to the wire."
Esposito believes the property attracted bidders because of its desirable location.
"Geographically, Belleville is located in a phenomenal location," he said. "It’s just outside of New York City, it’s near Newark, we’re nearby many highways."
The property is zoned for medical research, Esposito said.
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo praised the sale, saying it provides the county with revenue in a "time of fiscal stress."
"Auctioning the old SoHo property to a private owner offers an opportunity for economic development for Essex County and Belleville that contributes to the community and the local property-tax base," he said in a statement.
Mavroudis declined to comment on the developer’s plans for the site, but said Alma Realty has worked with historic medical sites. He cited a 2008 renovation by the company that converted a 1 million-square-foot interfaith hospital in Prospect Heights into apartments with some retail.
"We have to work with the municipality to see what’s the best development for everyone," he said of the Bellville hospital site.
The freeholder board still needs to approve the auction and then the county will hold public meetings in Belleville and Newark before another freeholder vote finalizes the sale, Puglisi said.
If all goes well, he said, the sale will be complete by spring.
Formerly used as an isolation hospital and as the Garden State Cancer Center, the historic hospital in Belleville was auction for $3.7 million, officials said.
Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly starred in the 2001 film "A Beautiful Mind" which filmed on site at the former hospital in Belleville.
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