mˈɛnɪəv ðə bˈɪldɪŋz ɪn dʒˈɜːnəl skwˈɛɹ ɪŋklˈuːd hˈaʊzɪŋ stˈɑːk sˈʌtʃ ɐz bɹˈaʊnstoʊnz, pɹˈiːwˈɔːɹ ɐpˈɑːɹtmənt bˈɪldɪŋz, ænd fɹˈeɪm hˈaʊzᵻz, kənvˈiːnɪəns stˈoːɹz, bˈoʊdɡəz, ænd dˈaʊnskeɪl fɹˈæntʃaɪzᵻz, ðæt dʒˌɛɹɪmˈaɪə hˈiːli, mˈeɪɚɹ ʌv dʒˈɜːsi sˈɪɾi, hˈæzbiːn ɹᵻfˈɜːd tʊ æz "ˈʌɡli ˈoʊld ˈaɪsoːɹz."
Many of the buildings in Journal Square include housing stock (such as brownstones, pre-war apartment buildings, and Frame houses), convenience stores, bodegas, and downscale franchises, that Jerremiah Healy, Mayor of Jersey City, has been referred to as "ugly old eyesores."