The rustic interior, mock Tutor-style beams and grooved red tiles that lined the roof had been replaced by charred beams and gutted framework hidden beneath a deteriorating plywood shroud
"
Nearly one year after a two-alarm fire blazed through the historic Upper Montclair Train Station, its future has been unveiled.
NJ Transit and the Montclair municipal government announced this week that they are advancing plans to rebuild the structure with a design inspired by its former historic style, according to a release issued to The Times.
A quasi-public agency, NJ Transit leases the station to Montclair, which then subleases it out, most recently to the Round Trip Fare Restaurant, which occupied the facility when the fire occurred.
NJ Transit and Montclair “will issue a Request For Proposal [RFP] next week seeking a qualified developer/tenant to enter into a long-term lease” to construct a new train station “that includes a passenger waiting area and commercial space with a focus on a new restaurant,” the release stated.
The Montclair Historic Preservation Commission and the municipal Station Reconstruction Task Force created the design guidelines in the RFP to ensure the structure retains its once-ornate style.
“We’ve been saying ever since the unfortunate fire that we were looking to rebuild a facility that fits in the historic nature of the community and works as a functioning facility,” NJ Transit spokesperson Penny Bassett Hackett told The Times.
The train station, constructed in 1892, was placed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places in March 1984. Three months later, the station was included in the National Register of Historic Places.
Once a tenant is chosen, NJ Transit and Montclair “will work with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Historic Sites Council (HSC) on the design of the new structure. The HSC will review and prepare a resolution recommending authorization of the proposal construction with conditions that will be incorporated into the final design of the station,” according to the release.
“Even though it’s been many months, that time has not been wasted. It has been used productively to get the station on track,” Township Manager Joseph Hartnett said. “The end result will be a facility that is respectful of the history of the site and is better for everybody. We are very happy about that.” "
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Directory of cultural resource and historic preservation firms.
Gray & Pape, Inc. Archaeology**History**Historic Preservation
Serving your cultural resources needs since 1987.
Ohio -
11-03-11
New South Associates, Inc. New South Associates is a women-owned small business providing cultural resource management services, both nationally and internationally. Our specialities include archaeology, history, architectural history, preservation planning, and public interpretati
Georgia -
03-25-11
Kerns CRM Consultants Cultural and Historical Resource Management Services
Maryland -
01-10-11
Paula S. Reed and Associates, Inc. Paula S. Reed and Associates, Inc. is a small, woman-owned corporation organized in the State of Maryland, which provides cultural resource evaluation on a nation-wide basis, specializing in National Historic Landmark nominations. We meet qualifications o
Maryland -
11-23-10
SWCA Environmental Consultants Acquires Northwest Archaeological Associates SWCA Environmental Consultants has acquired Northwest Archaeological Associates, expanding SWCA's Pacific Northwest presence with a new Seattle office offering cultural and natural resource management and environmental permitting and compliance consulting.
04-04-11
ACHP Section 106 Essentials two-day course which explains the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
02-02-11
