News
Powerhouse Is Put On List For Preservation
By David Danzig for The Jersey Journal
In a move that brought smiles to the faces of some Jersey City history buffs and frowns to the faces of some Port Authority executives, the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse, a hulking building on Washington Boulevard, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building, which has been called "an architectural wonder" by some and "Frankenstein's Castle" by others, was constructed in 1908.
While it once served as the sole power source for the first system of trains and subways that linked Manhattan to New Jersey, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey now uses it to house some PATH-related machinery.
For two years, a nonprofit group known as the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy has pushed to have the structure protected, over the strenuous objections of the Port Authority.
An application for a similar designation at the state level was rejected earlier this year, said officials with the state Office of Historic Preservation.
But the group was able to find more sympathetic ears recently in Washington.
Leon Yost, a Jersey City resident and Conservancy member, said his group was "elated" at the Nov. 23 designation and somewhat surprised that the Port Authority's objection did not carry the day.
"We thought the giant would win that one just like they did at the state level," he said. "But I guess the feds are a little more immune from local pressure."
The powerhouse, which became the 26th building in Jersey City to receive the designation, is one of only a handful in the state to be listed by the national registry and left off the state list.
Terry Karschner, a supervisor at the state's Office of Historic Preservation, said, "The only other place I can think of that is in a similar situation is Metuchen Borough Hall, in Metuchen. The municipality objected to the listing there. There may be others, but I am not aware of them at this time."
Dan Bledsoe, a spokesman with the Port Authority, said yesterday the agency had objected to the designation because it was studying ways the building and the site might be used.
"Any designation might restrict possible uses," he said.
Of course, that's exactly the point, say activists with the Conservancy.
"We don't want to see them build an office or residential tower on top of it," said John Gomez, president of the Conservancy.
But Gomez said that he did not think the new designation would pin down the Port Authority too severely.
"It just means that they can't really alter the outside of the building," he said. "But they can rework and reuse the insides."
"This is a great Christmas present for the city," he added.
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