Homeworks Trenton Breaks Ground on New HQ by JZA+D

This article originally appeared on patch.com

An artistic rendering of the property (courtesy of HomeWorks)

PRINCETON, NJ – Princeton architect Joshua Zinder has redesigned a 300-year-old building in Trenton that will be used by the nonprofit organization Homeworks.

The building will be used as a weekday after-school residential program for marginalized young women attending public schools nearby.

Designed by Zinder’s firm JZA+D, the building will also serve as the organization’s headquarters while providing room and board for the teen scholars seeking to take full advantage of their high school academic opportunities and find new paths to the future.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held recently that marked the start of construction. In attendance were Homeworks Trenton co-founder and Executive Director Natalie Tung, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, Zinder, and others.

The architect consulting with Tung for several years on expanding Homeworks Trenton’s capacity, Zinder and the team at JZA+D helped to identify a viable property to adapt — a three-story house in Trenton’s Parkside neighborhood, parts of which date back to 1740s.

Zinder designed the renovation and expansion to increase the site’s usable area from 9,000 square feet to more than 15,000 square feet while maintaining the building’s residential scale. They also provided a master plan for the mini-campus.

“It’s a privilege to support such an important endeavor,” Zinder said in a statement. “Every day, Natalie and her team make direct, positive and lasting impacts on the lives of young women, benefitting not only the scholars but also their families and communities.”

When complete, in addition to dormitories Homeworks new location will offer varied work-study areas, a full kitchen, an elevator for ADA compliance, and apartments for a live-in House Director, an Assistant House Director, and three additional live-in staff.

Homeworks’ new dorm rooms will accommodate 42 scholars — more than doubling the program’s current capacity.

The master plan adds new on-site parking, bus pickup and drop-off, and space for future outdoor learning experiences, including connections to the Delaware Raritan Canal State Park Trail pedestrian walkway.

According to Zinder, the renovation and expansion of the centuries-old structure is on track for completion next year.