11 Most Endangered Historic Places
Hackensack Water Works
Year Listed: 2002
Location: New Jersey
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.
