Regarding minimal post-black tom fixing: I would think the wear-and-tear of trains coming in and out for 50 years would do more damage than anything else. I just can't see the structure becoming so compromised that it's still evident today but was never addressed in the last 100 years. It just seems like an easy explanation for a 100 year old exposed iron structure.

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There are a LOT of train nuts that would beg to differ..

I'm not one, but "it's just a..." shouldn't be used when assessing historical value or worthiness of preservation.

The High Line was just an abandoned elevated rail through a really crappy neighborhood. It takes an amazing vision, and a couple bucks from a few strong backers, and you could potentially have something amazing. What can the train shed be? I'm not sure, I would never have guessed the High Line....

One proposal included reverting the shed back to its purpose: create a tram/rail/car/trolley/whatever system between the Light Rail and the CRRNJ terminal.

Either way ... the shed will continue to deteriorate because it's too costly to either remove or restore.

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Thirty years of abandonment is indeed a good example of "dropping the ball." I didn't mean to imply both sites are currently in the same state of disrepair, but the island still has a very long way to go.

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How so? The main building was brought back after 30 years of abandonment. It's one of the most visited National Park Service sites. Millions are being invested right now in the island's seawalls, propping the island for further restoration into the south side (the awarded New Jersey side). The south side buildings have all been stabilized, i.e. removed of vegetation and weather sealed.

The two don't compare.

The train shed, on the other hand,


Train Shed Study
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This puts the whole study in question. The study is trying to convince use that the shed, built around 1913, was severely damaged in 1916 but went through 50 years of continuous use without an overhaul?

By that rational, the collapse of the Twin Towers in 2001 (a year after the study was done) would have rocked the ground and caused another $10 million in damage.


Simply put, Liberty State Park is the crown jewel of the NJ State Parks system based on visitation and visibility. If money was to be invested in a park and for a cause like historic preservation, this would be it.

Maybe those walls to the immediate north and east could be sold back at cost ($16 million?) to help pay for the restoration?

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Do you need to read it again? Your arbitrary number aside, yes, it is worth restoring. So is Ellis Island, where we?ve also dropped the ball.

These sites are in such poor states mostly because of similarly nearsighted attitudes towards our nation?s historical artifacts. We don't have a problem spending money, we just tend to spend it on the wrong things.

Quote: Here are some reasons from an engineering evaluation of the sheds back in 2000: Condition Assessment Survey The team has surveyed and arranged for a number of tests of the material in the structure. The Shed is in a deteriorated condition for a number of reasons; major ones include over 50 years of heavy use as a train station, and over 30 years of abandonment where no maintenance has occurred. Of particular interest is the team?s conclusion that the Black Tom explosion of 1916 caused significant damage to the cast iron columns of the shed. This, tied with drainage being run within structural columns, has created significant damage to the supporting structure. A comparison of the survey done by the team with one done in 1976 shows that settlement of the structure, a major concern in previous reports, is not a significant issue. The concrete roof structure is not salvageable and will need to be replaced as part of the restoration. As part of the conditions assessment, an environmental study was done indicating contamination in the soil, but not to such a degree that major remediation would be required. Cost estimates updated for 2012: The attached cost estimate focuses strictly on the following: Two stabilization phases of Option 1A ? Preservation / Restoration: 􀂃 Phase 1: Immediate shoring / environmental remediation / roofing removal. 􀂃 Phase 2: Concrete removal/ column, steel repair The total for Option 1A is $23,309,757 Option 3 - Demolition: 􀂃 This covers the cost of removal, environmental remediation. The total for Option 3 is $ 13,876,734 Note: The $23.3 million is not a complete restoration. The complete restoration was estimated to be over $38 million back in 2000. So adjusting for inflation, you are probably in the $42 million range. So is restoring the train shed worth an extra $28 mil?

We had some of our wedding photos taken there and they look great. It is a photographer's dream. The pictures above are very cool - the contrast between the man-made and the natural. I get that they may not want it to remain in the current condition, but hopefully they can restore it and preserve much of it.

Completely agree...why can't they restore and make an outdoor market that would attract tourist (abroad and NYC) and locals alike. There is so much potential. Look at Reading Terminal Market in Philly or Granville Island in Vancouver. Any sort of public markets thrive anywhere in the world I've been. It's a win win situation for everyone.

For the individual that wants it torn down for open space...I hope that was a joke. You have hundreds of acres of open space all around it.

Restore it, and create a nice farmers market. DO NOT DEMOLISH IT!!!!

Now this is something I hope they can find a way to fix and restore. LSP is used frequently, and if they could restore that in the manner they're restoring the old powerhouse, they'd have a nice addition to the existing venue in place.

Some photos of it:

agree with most, yes, save and preserve the shed - the "open" space under the shed, the platforms and rail beds can be utilized effectively.

this has been a long simmering issue.

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It?s been a long time since the Liberty Bell was tolled--shall we make electrical wiring out of it?

But is it really worth saving? The sheds for the ferries were demolished and the place looks better for it. To me it would be more useful to replace the train shed with something functional.

If a fortune is spent on the saving train shed... well.. its still a train shed with no trains.

All that's left of Jersey City's industrial past is a rail terminal, a train shed and one set of track that crosses over the cobblestoned Audrey Zapp Drive.

Removing the train shed would be to further forget what Jersey City was initially built around: the half dozen railroads that reached as far as California and terminated here. Not New York City. Not Manhattan, but here.

It's not a very glorious history and most has been covered over (Newport, Exchange Place, the proposed demolition of the Embankment for development). The train shed could very well serve a purpose in a park that has very little shelter, both natural--the trees are still too young to provide any real cover--and man-made.

The train shed in Liberty State Park is the largest--and still surviving--Bush-styled train shed, if that means anything to you. It is also what's left of a train terminal that has been restored and, in the process, stripped down to its bricks. A large covered receiving area between the train terminal and the docks has already been removed.

The train shed provides some sort of context for the station. Without it, CRRNJ Terminal would look like a random sprout in an otherwise barren expanse of parking lot blacktop.

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Of course it would be cheaper to demolish it, but that idea only further demonstrates the embarrassing national reluctance to invest in the preservation of our important historical sites.

would it be cheaper and more useful to scrap the shed and convert the platforms into some form of open space (that could be leased for various function during the spring through fall)?

Train shed in Liberty State Park in Jersey City designated one of state's top 10 endangered historic sites

May 17, 2012, 3:00 AM
By Celeste Little/The Jersey Journal

The train shed at the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal at Liberty State Park in Jersey City has been named one of the top 10 most endangered historic places in the state.

Preservation New Jersey (PNJ) released the list yesterday morning, to mark National Preservation Month.

The president of the Friends of Liberty State Park, Sam Pesin, wrote a letter to support the designation of the train as an endangered, historic location.

?It?s very good news, and I hope the designation brings deserved attention and funding to stabilize and restore the enormous sheds,? he said.

Pesin also said that restoration may include merging the train shed with the surrounding green space and holding festivals or green markets there.

The train shed is at the foot of Audrey Zapp Drive, and was once frequented by an estimated 60,000 passengers a day.

The historic structure was built by Abraham Lincoln Bush in 1914 from cast iron and steel, but has begun to corrode and is in desperate need of repair, according to PNJ. The list, which PNJ has issued annually for 18 years, is compiled from local New Jersey landmarks that are nominated by residents.

Other historic places on PNJ?s list include the Kasner Mansion in Newark and the Wheatsworth Mill and Gingerbread Castle in Hamburg.

PNJ president David H. Knights said in a statement that many of the places on the list are in danger because of vandalism, environmental hazards and neglect.

The goal of the list is to bring attention to the structures and encourage people to bring them back to full form and function, officials said.

Locations are picked based on historical or architectural value, how endangered they are, and the likelihood that the list will have a positive impact.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... _in_liberty_state_pa.html