Even when the sun goes down

It’s morning at Monroe Center. There is a quiet buzz here, of creative minds producing great work. Artists walking the hallways, discussing ideas with artisans, while owners of varying businesses from pharmaceutical development to snowboarding apparel walk by to their studios. There is something here that goes beyond crass commercialism of a corporate set up. The occupants of Monroe Center know this. The vibe can be felt. It is a good thing.
The range of talent housed here is an eclectic bunch of creators, all contributing and working through a two way drip feed that sustains the inhabitants of Monroe Center. Individually they all create, and together they feed off the collective energy that sustains the feel good atmosphere at Monroe Center. Jason Jaskot, a commercial photographer states, “I am not bound by corporate rules. If I want to shoot in the hallways or around the building, I do so. I don’t need permission. It is an easy atmosphere that is conducive to creating and the management here is so great.”
 Monroe occupants often talk about sharing ideas with other residents. It’s a great feedback for creative minds. A sculptor will talk about his or her techniques to an artist who is tormented from a mind block, and suddenly the painter sees a glimmer of a new idea, the painter discusses color combinations with a jeweler and the ceramics master who happens to walk in on the conversation discovers new color visions that he will experiment with while he’s firing his kiln. And so it goes… The center turns like a kaleidoscope, forming new patterns with every twist.
And in this grand edifice, legends thrive. Richie Havens, Sixties icon, the musician who opened the Woodstock Festival at Max Yasgur’s farm, August 1969, and who once personified ‘Freedom’, is here. He is a great artist. How many people know that? He has Embraced the Monroe vibe, and like the others here, he loves it. But there is more to Monroe than legends and creativity.
The future of Monroe lies in embracing Hoboken and enhancing lifestyles. The condos that will soon be constructed, the scenic gardens, a whole new way of existence, in harmony with the old world charm of Hoboken are what part of the vision is all about. Living right next to an artist’s enclave! How cool is that? Restaurants, boutiques, music, art. All there, right here at Monroe Center. It’s The Village with a twist of Monroe.
The building itself has come a long way, literally. A little over a hundred years old, it once used to be the Levelor Blind factory. Then in 1990, Dil Hoda and Jerry Saddel decided to turn the place into a visionary artistic enclave without the paint of oily, slick commercialization. They continue to stand by their beliefs.
Two inevitable questions here are: 1.Where do we go from here? 2. Can the vision, endangered on every side by monsters of the quick buck revolution be sustained in its creative endeavor by not being hooked and gutted, as it meanders through the labyrinth of everyday business? At Monroe Center, the original vision of Hoda and Saddel is important. It is the sustaining factor for future growth. Here, it’s a new morning, even when the sun goes down.