By Chris Gennone / NJ Monthly
With its arched doorframes and windows, White Eagle Hall resembles a Gothic-style church. But ascend the concrete steps and step into the lobby of the landmark building and you’ll be bathed in a red and purple glow. Beyond the lobby is the vast, open floor of Jersey City’s newest performance venue.
The long-awaited concert venue and theater opened its doors last month. Two restaurants downstairs, Cellar 335 and Madame Claude Bis, opened last summer and are already attracting crowds to the building, located seven blocks from the Grove Street PATH station.
Built in 1910 as a community center by Polish immigrants, White Eagle Hall later became the home gym of Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony Friars. The team would win a national record 23 state championships.