The Origin Story of Salon 4J
Over thirty years ago, Sophie lived in this Upper West Side building from birth to age three. Her family first lived in 5J, and when the apartment below became available, her father encouraged her grandparents to buy it for his brother-in-law Jon, who was navigating complex health challenges. It kept him close to family, surrounded by care.
Jon made the apartment his happy home for many years, filling it with comic books, cats, poetry, warmth, a marriage, and quirks entirely his own. After he passed just before the pandemic, the apartment was left in disrepair and sat empty.
When the family completed the renovation, they still weren’t sure what the space should become. The loss was still too close, especially for Carole, Sophie’s grandmother and Jon’s mother, who couldn’t bring herself to come back inside. Around this time, Sophie, who had been living in Los Angeles, went through a health scare and returned to New York to recover. Her grandparents offered her the apartment as a place to rest (a very generous offer, as Sophie will be the first to admit).
But even as Sophie settled in, the apartment felt heavy. It had been tied to both love and grief, and Carole still couldn’t visit. Sophie wanted to honor her grandmother and help the space feel like family again. So she suggested curating a selection of Carole’s paintings, not just as decoration but as a tribute and as a gentle way to welcome her back into the space.
As Carole’s artwork went up across the walls, the apartment shifted. It felt warmer, brighter, lived-in again. Family returned to the space, first physically, then emotionally.
And once the home felt light again, a new thought emerged:
If this space could heal us, perhaps it could welcome others too.
That idea became Salon 4J.
Today, 4J honors Jon, celebrates Carole, and continues the family’s tradition of care and creativity, in the most Upper West Side way possible: conversation on a living room rug.
“4J” is for Jon, for joy, and for the act of gathering again.
