Liberty State Park Visitors' Center (Jersey City, New Jersey)

USA / New Jersey / Jersey City / Jersey City, New Jersey
 museum, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, interesting place, movie / film / TV location, historic landmark, railway terminal, former train/railway station
In 1860, the CRRNJ chartered a waterfront location in Jersey City. The Central Railroad of New Jersey - Communipaw terminal was completed in 1864, constructed primarily on landfill from New York City. Heavier transportation demands soon rendered the original terminal inadequate. By 1889, a new one had been designed by the Boston architectural firm of Peabody & Stearns in the Romanesque Revival style. The three-story head house joined twelve tracks with six platforms to the ferry slips at the water’s edge. With the opening of the Immigration Station on Ellis Island in 1892, traffic increased dramatically. Two-thirds of the immigrants processed on Ellis Island started their new lives via the CRRNJ Terminal, settling in New Jersey or traveling on to other states.

By 1914, the train and ferry sheds were enlarged to accommodate the growing numbers of commuters. The Bush train shed, still standing today, housing 20 tracks, was the largest one ever built. In 1967, the Aldene Plan called for the rerouting of all train traffic to the Pennsylvania Station in Newark. The CRRNJ declared bankruptcy and Terminal ceased passenger operations in April 1967.
Deserted and falling into ruin, the CRRNJ Terminal and the adjacent acreage was bought through local, state and federal funds. A massive clean-up campaign was begun and by 1975 the building was added to both the State and National Register of Historic Places. Today the Terminal is the focus of community and statewide special events.

The former trainshed was used as a filming location for the HBO film "The Many Saints of Newark" (2021). The interior of the current visitor center can be seen in the movie "Funny Girl" when Barbra Streisand starts singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" (1968).
 Add place (company, shop, etc.) to this building
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Railroad_of_New_Jersey_Terminal
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   40°42'25"N   74°2'6"W

Comments

  • Includes the world's largest "Bush" trainshed.
  • Thsi is very interesting. Thanks for the nice pic. This terminal was obviously the Liberty Park termination point for many rail trunks. Afterward, one would take the ferry to Manhattan.
This article was last modified 3 years ago