(rshsdepot) Piermont, NY

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From today's Journal News.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
Transportation Communications Newsletter
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Piermont train station to be designated historic  site
By RON X. GUMUCIO
THE  JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: July 6,  2006)     



PIERMONT — The Piermont railroad station will be placed on the state  and 
National Register of Historic Places by the end of summer.  
The Ash Street station, built in 1873 in the contemporary stick style of  
architecture, was a stop along the Nyack-Jersey City passenger train line for  
nearly a century before it closed 40 years ago.  
The New York State Board for Historic Preservation approved the station's  
nomination June 28, said Bill Krattinger, a historic preservation specialist  
with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.  
Krattinger said yesterday that his office was compiling tax maps and  
black-and-white photographs of the station to send to the department of National  
Park Services for final inclusion.  
The station was selected because of the building's architecture and its ties  
with the New York and Erie Railroad prior to its move in 1861 to Jersey City, 
 N.J.  
"Architecturally, the station is characteristic of the modestly scaled  
stations and depots that were once a common sight on rail lines throughout rural  
New York State," Krattinger wrote in his application.  
"The history of Piermont and the New York Railroad, and the advent of rail  
transportation in general, are closely intertwined, mostly on account of the  
establishment of Piermont as the terminus of the New York & Erie Railroad  from 
the early 1840s until its relocation to New Jersey," Krattinger wrote.  
The Piermont Historical Society had sought the historical designation for the 
 station six months ago, about the time the group began work to restore the  
building.  
The village took ownership of the Piermont station two years ago.  
"We've done the roof, reapplied all the windows and reinstalled the cupola  
that had been part of the original structure," Historical Society President 
Bill  Elson said. "But there's more external carpentry to do, as well as 
painting.  We're hoping to start work sometime in the late fall or early winter."  
Billings Carpentry and Construction of Nyack built a 9-foot-high cupola for  
the station. The roof's rafters were also repaired and trusses rebuilt to keep 
 the pitched roof from sagging more. Touch of Glass of Nyack replaced the 
windows  in April, Elson said.  
The Historical Society spent close to $75,000 for those projects, which it  
collected through donations and its fundraising efforts. More will be needed to 
 complete the exterior and interior work, Elson said.  
The 1,068-square-foot building contained a waiting room, telegraph operator's 
 booth, station master's office and bathrooms on the first floor. Two rooms, 
a  bath and a kitchen, made up the second floor. The station was heated by  
coal-burning stoves.  
According to Krattinger's application, Belle Kelly served as the  
stationmaster, ticket agent and telegrapher for more than a half- century. After  
closing, the Nyack & Southern Railroad passed title of the building to her.  Kelly 
lived there until she died in 1976. At that time, her son, Tom Kelly, took  
ownership. The station served as his residence until he died in 1996.  
Elson said the scope of the building's interior restoration was still being  
discussed, as was its future use, but that a conservative cost estimate would 
be  about $50,000.  
"In terms of its future use, we're governed by a lot of things we can't  
control," Elson said. "As for its physical location, the station is on a sharp  
turn on Ash Street, which makes it difficult for ingress and egress. And there's 
 little parking there. ... At the very least, it could have some similar uses 
as  the train station in Congers. That building can be rented out for private 
 functions and used for various events."

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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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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1390
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org