(rshsdepot) Demarest, Tenafly, Westwood, Pequannock and Rutherford, NJ

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From Sunday's Record.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Towns restore historic rail stations    
 
Sunday, December 2, 2007 
 
By KAREN SUDOL
STAFF WRITER    

More  aging North Jersey railroad stations -- considered landmarks and often 
the  centerpieces of many towns -- are being restored to their historic  
grandeur.
 
Stations in Demarest, Tenafly, Westwood, Pequannock and Rutherford either  
are scheduled for renovations or have them under way -- even though some no  
longer serve the railroad.
 
The railroads, and their stations, helped transform farmland into bustling  
New York City suburbs.
 
"The communities that grew are really what grew around the original train  
stops," said Kevin Wright, past president of the Bergen County Historical  
Society. "The population exploded when the railroads went through."
 
Many of the stations that once served as the entry points to the green  
pastures of North Jersey are in need of a makeover.
 
Take Demarest.
 
Borough officials and the local historical society decided in the late  1990s 
that the depot, considered the most handsome on the old Northern Railroad  
line, needed to be restored "because it's a state treasure," said Demarest  
Councilwoman Carole Cardinale.

"It has always been the highlight or the downtown spot for Demarest,"  said 
borough historian Mary Anne Clarke.
 
So, an architect and contractor specializing in historic building  
restoration were hired. Old station photographs and an embroidered picture were  used to 
get a sense of what the depot looked like in 1872 along with information  
from the son of the last stationmaster, said Clarke.
 
In the first phase in 2002, a slate roof was installed. A weather vane,  
finials, cresting and an east dormer were added, said Clarke.
 
Work on a second portion began last year by opening the portico to the  
station platform, cleaning the stone exterior, upgrading the heating and  
air-conditioning systems and replacing windows and doors and the cement sidewalk  that 
surrounded the building.
 
Those improvements should be finished soon. The building will then once  
again house the senior center and serve as a meeting place for groups.
 
The bulk of the $963,593 project has been funded through state and county  
grants and county and municipal open space funds -- about $641,000.
 
Plans call for renovating the station's interior at a future date, said  
Clarke.
 
Demarest Councilman Raymond Cywinski said it's natural for people to want  to 
connect to something in the past.
 
"It's part of a living history almost," he said of the station. "It has a  
certain design and history to it."
 
Tenafly's railroad station, along the Northern Railroad, which became part  
of the Northern Erie line, has been a work in progress over the years, said  
Kevin Tremble, a member and former chairman of the Historic Preservation  
Commission.
 
The borough replaced an asphalt roof with slate in 1980.
 
A $269,841 renovation began in 1993 when the roof overhang was restored and  
roof repaired. The station's exterior was repainted to match the original 
colors  of the building and air conditioning and attic ventilation added. 
 
A $153,000 grant went toward that project.
 
This year, lead-coated copper roofing replaced a portion of the roof among  
other exterior repairs. Concrete sidewalks around the station and the platform  
will also be replaced. Of the $324,500 cost, about $50,000 came from a  grant.
 
The station, which now houses a cafe, represents an era of development in  
Tenafly, said Tremble.
 
Other towns are also taking steps toward restoring the stations.
 
In Westwood, research is under way to refurbish the 1932 station, which the  
borough leases from NJ Transit.
 
Upgrades for the bathrooms, the heating system and window replacement are  
being considered, said Borough Administrator Robert Hoffmann. Using sustainable  
resources like solar panels and energy efficient insulation are also ideas 
being  floated.
 
"It's a beautiful looking structure," said Hoffmann. "It was built with  
loving hands by craftsmen and that comes through when you look at the woodwork,"  
he said of the station used by commuters and serving as a museum.
 
Pequannock, which bought the Pompton Plains station two years ago, has  
dedicated $200,000 to preserving it with $157,000 coming from Morris County  funds, 
said Councilman Edward Engelbart. Used as a museum, the borough plans to  
replace the heating system, restore the interior floor and repaint it among  
other things.
 
And Rutherford's historic station owned by New Jersey Transit, will undergo  
a $3.2 million renovation including restoring the brick exterior and fixing 
the  indoor waiting area.
 
 
FAST FACTS  
- --
- --
 
Tenafly railroad station
• Location: Piermont Road
• Years it was  built: 1872 to 1874
• Style: High Victorian Gothic
• Designed by: Daniel  T. Atwood
• Year borough acquired it: 1964
• Current use: a cafe
 
Demarest railroad station 
• Location: Park Street
• Year it was  built: 1872
• Style: Romanesque
• Designed by: J. Cleveland Cady
• Year  borough acquired it: 1977
• Current use: Senior center and meeting place for  groups


E-mail: _sudol_@_northjersey.com_ (mailto:sudol@northjersey.com)   




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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1639
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org