Photo by Susan C. Moeller William Galloway, president of the Rutherford Historical Preservation Commission, with pictures of the borough’s dilapidated train station. Exterior repairs are under way and slated for completion by December 2008 or early 2009. Interior remodeling will begin next spring.

By Susan C. Moeller
Senior Reporter

RUTHERFORD (July 17, 2008) — The time is now for renovations to the Rutherford Train Station. Steve Jurow, NJ Transit’s project manager for the restoration, briefed members of the borough’s historical preservation commission and the public about the repairs at a meeting July 14.

The state will fund $1.5 million worth of work on the exterior of the train station, which should be finished by December 2008 or January 2009. Then, $1.9 million of federal funding, secured by U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9), will kick in, and interior remodeling will begin in April of next year, Jurow said.

The train station’s doors, with their leaded glass transoms, as well as the exterior brickwork and columns, are all on the docket for repair during phase one.

The contractors will seek to restore and reinstall the original fixtures, but if deterioration has rendered them beyond repair, historically accurate reproductions will be fabricated and used instead.

Paint samples will be analyzed to determine the station’s original color scheme, and NJ Transit is committed to a historically appropriate paint job on the wood surfaces.

But, Jurow emphasized, the old colors aren’t always attractive today — designed as they often were to match the hues of mold, rust and dirt. The bottom line — the restorers reserve the right to choose a color other than the original if the original was simply ugly.

The gazebo at the east end of the station is a bit of an anomaly. Jurow said that he doesn’t know of any others like it. People contemplated why it was originally built, with suggestions ranging from a simple architectural feature, to a men’s smoking area, to a platform for performing bands.

“I can’t imagine what its purpose must have been,” Jurow said.

Rod Leith, borough historian, asked if benches could be added to the gazebo as part of the restoration, but Jurow said no, citing state historic preservation guidelines that require the station to be restored to its original condition. In this case, he noted, the original was benchless.

As part of the interior remodeling, the main waiting area will get a face-lift — benches and windows will be repaired or replaced, and walls will be repainted with historically accurate stenciling added near the ceiling.

No one disagrees that time has been hard on the station, which was built in the late 1800s. But, David Grassetti of Rutherford is concerned about the modern-day impact of his fellow riders.

“The litter there is unbelievable,” Grassetti said.

Maintenance, Jurow emphasized, is the province of the town.

“You have to make the commitment to protect the resource,” Jurow said. “The town has to do that.”

Mayor John Hipp, who spoke from the floor, said that Rutherford already has a regular DPW pickup at the station. He also said that if NJ Transit wanted to install closed-circuit cameras, then the monitors could be placed in the police station.

Grassetti’s proposed solution was much more low tech. His advice, “Start issuing littering tickets.”