The Columbus Maxwell Townhouses occupy a prominent Jersey City corner once home to an apartment building and an auto repair shop. The developer saw an opportunity to add something in short supply in the neighborhood: contemporary homes with enough bedrooms for larger families.

The project fits four five-bedroom townhouses on the site. Each townhouse rises four stories from a compact 25-by-20-foot footprint, with kitchen, dining, and living spaces spread across the lower two floors and bedrooms on the upper two. The corner site allows windows on a side elevation as well as at the front and rear, bringing daylight in from three directions. Each townhouse extends upward to a private roof deck with expansive skyline views.

A metal-paneled grid organizes the façade, alternating windows with solid infill panels to balance daylight and views with privacy. Small balconies offer additional places to step outside, while vertical louvers shade windows from the low afternoon sun.