(rshsdepot) Hoboken Terminal (Hoboken, NJ)

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From the Hoboken Reporter.
 
For original article and photo to go to:
 
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
Hoboken's  beacon in the night 
Clock  tower lit up, plaza dedicated to Warrington 

By  Timothy J. Carroll
Reporter staff writer   

The  city of Hoboken has a new version of an old historic landmark. The 
Hoboken  Terminal Clock Tower - with bright lights down the sides spelling out  
"Lackawanna" - was lit up on Friday, April 9 as N.J. Transit officials and state  
and local politicians looked on. 
Rainy,  foul weather did not stop the dedication ceremony, which also 
included renaming  the plaza entrance to the train terminal after a former N.J. 
Transit  director. 
The  original clock tower was constructed in 1907 as part of the Beaux-Arts 
terminal  built that year by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The 
D, L  & W railroad brought coal from Pennsylvania through New York in the 
earlier  part of the century. The D, L & W merged with the Erie Railroad in the 
1960s  to form the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. 
While  the historic ferry and train terminal remains, the clock tower was 
removed in  1950 after the structure was weakened in a storm. 
Mayor  David Roberts, always a fan of Hoboken history, has been urging N.J. 
Transit  since the 1990s to restore the original tower. 
The  new structure, replicating architect Kenneth Murchinson's original 
copper  design, is able to withstand 120 mile-per-hour winds and stands at 230 feet 
 tall, the largest prefabricated clock tower in the world. 
It  was manufactured in Kentucky, shipped to New Jersey in eight pieces, and  
assembled in three phases. 
The  clock tower sits on the roof of the main waiting room of the terminal, 
and its  copper cladding will eventually turn to a green patina matching the 
rest of the  building. 
Richard  Sarles, N.J. Transit's executive director, said at the ceremony, 
"This is a  symbol for Hoboken ... It re-establishes what was once here  before." 

The cost 

The clock tower is part of a  $113 million renovation of the terminal. N.J. 
Transit is using a mixture of  federal, state, and port authority funding for 
the three-phase effort. The clock  tower is part of Phase II, which is nearing 
completion. 

The replica itself carries a  $5 million price tag that comes from federal 
and state funding. Other  improvements being made to the terminal include 
reconstruction of a portion of  the building, construction of ferry service ticket 
offices and a waiting area,  restoration of the copper and lighting on the 
exterior of the building, and  restoring the interior finishes of the ferry 
terminal area. 

Restoration station 

N.J. Transit dedicated the  clock tower and plaza, formerly Lackawanna Plaza, 
to George Warrington, the  agency's executive director from 2002 through 
2007. He passed away at the age of  55 on Dec. 24, 2007 after a battle with 
pancreatic cancer. 
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, Rep.  Albio Sires, Hoboken Mayor David Roberts, 
and Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy  were among the many officials on hand to 
pay tribute to Warrington. 
Menendez said, "We are here to  celebrate his incredible vision." 
Roberts said, "He was marveled by  the opportunity that was here ... I had 
finally met someone who would listen to  me," getting a chuckle from the crowd. 
Warrington leaves behind a legacy  of improvement and innovation in public 
transportation, including development of  Hoboken Terminal and Secaucus 
Junction. 
He also launched a mutitude of  projects, such as Acela, the nation's first 
high-speed rail line, and the  Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel, the proposed third 
rail tunnel between New Jersey  and Manhattan. The tunnel is scheduled for 
construction from 2009 to 2017. 
Roberts said at the ceremony,  "It's only right that this plaza be named 
after George." 
Lou Gambaccini, one of the  founding members of N.J. Transit, called 
Warrington "the consummate public  servant." 
Roberts said in an interview, "He  was the kind of guy, if you said, 'I've 
got a good idea,' he'd say, 'I'll up you  one.' " 
George Warrington's widow, Hope  Warrington, spoke at the ceremony, saying 
she was glad people who will come to  the plaza will remember her husband for 
years to come. She said, "It's fitting  that this grand plaza bear his name." 
For comments on this story,  e-mail _editorial_@_hudsonreporter.com_ 
(mailto:editorial_@_hudsonreporter.com) .  




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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1730
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
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