‘SINATRA’S HOUSE, WE JUST LIVE IN IT’: Work Begins on Luxury Condos at Frank’s 415 Monroe Street Birthplace in Hoboken

Posted on January 11, 2019 in Heritage

“The house I live in
A plot of Earth, a street…”
–Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra was born at 415 Monroe Street in Hoboken on December 12, 1915.

The house itself is long gone—all that remained was a vacant lot and a sadly scuffed-up bronze star on the sidewalk. The dilapidated remnants of the short-lived Sinatra museum “From Here to Eternity” sat next door, simply rotting out from neglect since the devastating floods of Superstorm Sandy.

This past week, however, the properties have been taken over by the aptly named Chairman of the Board, Corp., as they move ahead with plans to develop the properties into luxury condos.

We initially became aware of the new developments when @HobokenThings spotted a Johnny On the Spot outside the properties… unfortunately resting on the bronze plaque commemorating Sinatra’s birthplace. hMAG reached out to the developers, who assured us that the port-o-potty had been moved immediately upon delivery.

Developer John Heidenry, of Chairman of the Board Corp., then invited hMAG to watch as the plaque was carefully removed.

“The star is going to be restored by Tony Pignotti who is a Hoboken resident and big Sinatra fan,” said Heidenry. “I got Tony’s name from Robert Foster at the Hoboken Historical Museum. He will restore the star and then replace it in the new sidewalk when we are done in late 2019.”

Given the significance of this address in the history of Hoboken/Hollywood/The World, the group made a concerted and well-documented effort to involve the Sinatra Family in the redevelopment of the property. However, after a bit of back and forth, representatives of the family have indicated that they were not interested in using the Sinatra name on this project.

Designed by MVMK Architecture, the as-of-yet unnamed building at 415 Monroe Street in Hoboken will offer seven luxury homes, starting at $1,100,000—according to Joe Stingone of VUE Realty Group. A unique feature of the building will be the common roof deck which will have direct elevator access, grilling stations and lounge areas with “New York, New York” views.

The 7-unit building will feature one 4-bedroom and six 3-bedroom units, with on-site parking. There will also be two private rear yards, three separate entertaining areas and two outdoor kitchens.

“As for the building name, we are kinda stumped at the moment,” says Heidenry. “We are all ears if your readers want to chime in.”

While the family stipulates that it can’t expressly feature the name “Sinatra,” there’s surely a subtle way to give Frank the nod.

Give it some thought, and then “Ring-A-Ding-Ding” in with your best answer…