Hudson & Manhattan RR Powerhouse
Washington Boulevard between First and Bay Streets
Warehouse Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse
Photo: C. Karnoutsos, 2002

The Hudson & Manhattan RR Powerhouse building is an industrial age masterpiece; it is a Romanesque Revival structure built between 1906 and 1908. Christopher Gray, the architectural history columnist of the New York Times commented, "It is like some ancient, partly ruined cathedral--a masterpiece of brickwork."

The Powerhouse was designed by architect John Oakman of Carrere and Hastings, who graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. With his partner W. Powell Robins, Oakman received the commission to design the Hudson & Manhattan stations, buildings, and powerhouse from a relative, Walter G. Oakman, president of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad. The nine-story structure has a solid steel superstructure and 28-inch thick walls. It is noted for its brickwork and wide bay windows. James J. Ferris, for whom one of Jersey City's high schools is named, laid the foundation.

One of the engineers in the project was L.B. Stillwell, whose firm designed the first Niagara Falls power plant. John Van Vleck designed the structure's steel frame, Hugh Hazleton of Englewood, New Jersey, the electrical machinery, and the boilers by Babcock & Wilcox in Bayonne.

On February 25, 1908, the Powerhouse was activated by engineers; they responded to the receipt of a telegram from President Theodore Roosevelt in the White House to throw the switches and electrify the Hudson Tunnel. According to John Gomez of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, "The coal-powered, steam-generating Hudson & Manhattan Powerhouse energized the railroad's Hudson Tunnels, a subway line that in 1908 physically connected, for the first time, New Jersey and New York. The Hudson & Manhattan Powerhouse provided constant power to the system's lines, cars, stations, and terminals on both sides of the Hudson River, including the wondrous Hudson Terminal in New York City, then the world's largest office and train-terminal complex" (Gomez, "The Hudson & Manhattan RR Powerhouse 1)

The Powerhouse made possible the subway system between New Jersey and New York as part of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH). Prior to the tunnel that connected the mainland with Manhattan Island, travelers needed to board ferries to cross the Hudson River. The Powerhouse was closed in 1929 and utilized as a storage house for railroad equipment. The Hudson & Manhattan Railroad went bankrupt in 1963. The operation of the Hudson Tunnels was taken over by the PATH and its World Trade Center Complex. All that remains of the Hudson & Manhattan is the Powerhouse, which protects a cinderblock-encased substation

In the 1990s, the building was cited by Preservation New Jersey as one of the state's ten most endangered historic sites. It has also been the prime interest for preservation by the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy. In December, 2001, the National Register of Historic Places certified the Powerhouse a national landmark. It is presently under consideration for redevelopment by the Port Authority and Jersey City, who jointly own the building.

References:

Gomez, John. "The Hudson & Manhattan RR Powerhouse." Society for Industrial Archeology Newsletter. 29 (Nos. 3-4) Fall 2000:1-2.
Gray, Christopher. "A Majestic, Aging Giant." New York Times 18 November 1990.
Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy http://www.jersecityhistory.net/index.html
Petrick, John. "Study Boosts District for Arts, Housing." Jersey Journal 11 March 2002.