11 Most Endangered

Hackensack Water Works

Year Listed: 2002
Location: , New Jersey
Current Status: Favorable
Threat: Development

The Hackensack Water Works in Oradell, New Jersey.

Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation

Significance

It is a rare and remarkably intact testament to American ingenuity. But now the Hackensack Water Works, a time capsule of 19th-and 20th-century technology that faithfully served the burgeoning population of Northern New Jersey for nearly a century, is threatened by a county proposal to demolish virtually this entire intact industrial complex in order to create an artificial "ruin." The main issues of the Hackensack Water Works are the stewardship of public resources, environmental concerns and the ability of the people to safeguard their heritage.

Updates

In June 2003, Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney announced that the Water Works would be preserved -- rejecting the previous administration's plan to demolish most of the site -- stating that, "the demolition of the site is no longer an option, really. . . the smart thing to do is to preserve this complex."

The successful preservation of the waterworks is due in large part to the work of several groups including McNerney and NJ's Department of Environmental Protection office, several area preservation organizations, and the Water Works Conservancy, Inc. which formed in 1990 to save and reuse the site as a mixed-use museum and environmental education and research center. Recently roof stabilization was completed by Bergen County on the largest of the Water Works structures. But while the small measures provide hope for a bright future, the site remains empty and in overall deteriorating condition, awaiting an agreed upon reuse and necessary restoration funds.