Upper Montclair station

Upper Montclair station

Company type	NJ Transit rail station
Industry	Transportation
Founded	1873
Headquarters	Upper Montclair, New Jersey , United States
Products	Commuter rail services

Upper Montclair is a station on the Montclair–Boonton Line operated by New Jersey Transit, situated in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. Positioned between the grade crossings of Bellevue Avenue and Lorraine Avenue, and adjacent to North Mountain Avenue as well as Upper Montclair Plaza, it primarily serves the nearby Upper Montclair Business District. The station is located along the Boonton Line corridor. There are ongoing considerations to close the Lorraine Avenue grade crossing to enhance safety.

In terms of location, Upper Montclair ranks as the fourth stop out of six northbound Montclair stations and the third stop southbound. It is situated nine stations away from New York City and eight stations from Hoboken. Close to the station, Toney's Brook begins just northwest, creating a natural divide between the northbound platform and parking facilities. On the opposite side of Bellevue Avenue lies Anderson Park.

Station facilities and services

Originally constructed by the Montclair Railway, a branch of the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway (1878–1943), Upper Montclair station was a modest building serving a then-rural community. After acquisition by the Erie Railroad, it was rebuilt in 1892. The station building suffered fire damage in 2006, though its platform remained in use. Reconstruction completed in 2009 resulted in a design that closely mirrored the original structure while incorporating the surviving porte-cochere. The new facility was expanded to include 18-foot vaulted ceilings and travertine marble flooring. During this rebuilding phase, an eastbound temporary shelter was provided via a tent, while the westbound shelter was dismantled except for its supporting columns. A former freight house remains located across Lorraine Avenue.

By 2010, restoration was fully completed, and the station once again accommodated a restaurant. The renovation project’s final cost approached $2 million, which was twice the original $1 million budget.

The station features ground-level side platforms that can serve only five train cars at a time, restricting boarding to designated cars. There are 111 commuter parking spaces available by permit only; additional parking options are metered. Bicycle racks are also provided for cyclists.

Construction

Local dissatisfaction with service to New York City motivated community leaders such as Julius Pratt to form the Montclair Railway in 1867 as an alternative to the Morris & Essex Railroad. Despite concerns about low ridership forecasts, the $4 million venture was completed in 1872 with funding from the New York, Oswego and Midland Railroad Company. The railway did not achieve profitability until it became part of the New York and Greenwood Lake Railway system.

By 1884, four stations served Montclair: Montclair, Watchung, Upper Montclair, and Montclair Heights. The Upper Montclair depot constructed in 1892 was a single-story wooden building featuring classical interior design elements. It underwent expansion in 1899 to include a distinctive porte-cochere allowing vehicle access through an adjacent park. The depot measured seven bays wide and two bays deep, with a hipped gable roof supported by wood columns resting on limestone bases beneath the porte-cochere. Its exterior included slate shingles and roofing materials along with numerous windows and doors on all sides.

Inside, the depot consisted of one main floor plus a basement level that housed a ticket office, a waiting room on the southern side, restrooms, and a baggage area on the northern side. While originally finished with all-wood interiors, later renovations introduced concrete flooring and painted walls.

Proposed Delisting from the National Register

Since 1984, the original station house has been recognized on both the state and federal registers, included within the Operating Passenger Railroad Stations Thematic Resource.

After a fire on February 5, 2006, which devastated most of the structure except for the porte-cochere and the roof’s terra cotta tile lining, New Jersey Transit initiated efforts to remove the station from the National Register. However, in October 2006, this petition was retracted to facilitate discussions with local authorities. By February 2007, two alternatives were considered: complete demolition with redevelopment or reconstruction in the style of the former Erie Railroad using salvaged materials. Due to financial limitations, by October 2007, a replica closely resembling the original was selected.

A second attempt to delist occurred in January 2011 following completion of the new depot. While the Montclair Historical Preservation Commission consented to removal from the register, they recommended designating the site as a township landmark instead. By September 2012, it was acknowledged that the reconstructed depot did not fulfill the criteria of the original historic standards.

On January 22, 2015, New Jersey Transit officially submitted a request to rescind historic status based on the destruction caused by the 2006 fire. This move faced opposition from local business owners and organizations such as Friends of Anderson Park, who expressed concerns over potential negative effects on property values due to future development.

By March 11, 2015, New Jersey Transit withdrew its application for removal amid considerable pushback from community members, the Township Council, and Essex County. State Senator Nia Gill highlighted that revoking historic designation would undermine the township’s cultural heritage.

Bibliography

• Adams, Arthur G.; Baxter, Raymond J. Railroad Ferries of the Hudson: And Stories of a Deckhand. Fordham University Press, 1999.
• Catlin, George L. Homes on the Montclair Railway, for New York Business Men: A Description of the Country Adjacent to the Montclair Railway, Between Jersey City and Greenwood Lake. Montclair Railway Company, 1873.
• Nowicki, Susan A. Montclair, New Jersey: the development of a suburban town and its architecture. PhD thesis, City University of New York, 2008.
• Shaw, William H. History of Essex and Hudson Counties, New Jersey, vol. 2. Everts & Peck, 1884.
• Whittemore, Henry. History of Montclair Township, State of New Jersey: Including the History of Families who Have Been Identified with Its Growth and Prosperity. The Suburban Publishing Company, 1894.

External links

• Station viewed from Bellevue Avenue – Google Maps Street View
• Station viewed from Lorraine Avenue – Google Maps Street View