(rshsdepot) Delaware Water Gap, PA

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Train depot restoration efforts steam along on the fast track

By DAVID PIERCE
Pocono Record Writer
dpierce_@_poconorecord.com


DELAWARE WATER GAP - Preservationists hope the Delaware Water Gap train
station's placement on the National Register of Historic Places will put
them on the fast track to restoration success.

Chris Barbieri of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Lackawanna
Chapter, received word Tuesday of the designation.

"Aside from making us eligible for certain tax breaks, it lends clout to our
grant efforts," Barbieri said. "Hopefully, it'll make the grant approval
process swifter."

The Lackawanna Chapter is in the midst of a five-year effort to restore the
1903 structure, launched in 1998 when the organization began leasing it from
the Delaware Water Gap Borough for $1 per year. In 2000, the chapter began
installing a temporary tin roof on the structure, atop an embankment near
the Interstate 80 toll bridge and the Delaware River, to plug numerous leaks
that have caused water damage to the interior.

"The stabilization process is almost complete," Barbieri said. "We've got
the whole place cleaned out and are checking on it regularly."

Now the group hopes to receive money and/or material donations to rebuild
the once-prominent station that was a lifeline to the early Poconos tourist
industry. The Lackawanna Chapter hopes eventually to use the station as its
permanent meeting room and a gathering point for community groups and
events. Possible property uses include a museum, riverside park and
connecting hiking-trail point.

The National Register designation is the culmination of a long process that
included a presentation to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Bureau for Historic Preservation, and forwarding of the application to the
National Park Service for final approval.

"The National Register recognizes the historical, architectural or cultural
merits of properties," Jean Cutler, state Historic Preservation director,
wrote in a letter to Barbieri. "Properties listed in the National Register
receive consideration when state or federal projects are being planned, and
may qualify for federal historic preservation tax credits or when available,
grant assistance."


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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