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"11 Most Endangered"

NATIONAL TRUST NAMES
NEW JERSEY'S HACKSENSACK WATER WORKS
ONE OF AMERICA’S 11 MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES

Join National Trust President Richard Moe for a LIVE conference call on the 11 Most Endangered List Thursday, June 6, 2:30 p.m. ET. Call toll-free in the US: 1-888-928-9177, Passcode: 11 Most Endangered
Television: B-roll of the sites can be found on Telstar 5, Transponder 16, Downlink 4020, C-Band from 1:00 to1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 6 and repeated on Friday, June 7, same coordinates from 1 –1:15.
For high-resolution images of the sites, visit http://www.nationaltrust.org/11most/2002/images/hi-res/.

Washington, D.C. (June 6, 2002) – 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 all of this intact industrial complex in order to create an artificial "ruin."

To raise awareness of the plight of the Water Works and other historic industrial resources,
the National Trust for Historic Preservation today named the Hackensack Water Works to its 2002 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

"Industrial sites tell the story of the United States as much as historic house museums or downtown commercial districts," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. "Built in an era when our nation’s public health was threatened by disease and cities lacked basic amenities such as a clean water supply, the Water Works and the far-reaching industrial advancements made there cannot be overlooked. One of the last remaining and most intact historic industrial sites of its kind, we should not allow this extraordinary place to be largely destroyed and transformed into an imitation ruin."

The History Channel“ will feature the list on Saturday, July 6, 2002, at 10 p.m. EDT/PDT in a one-hour documentary special entitled, "America’s Most Endangered." The show, hosted by Josh Binswanger, also host of "This Week in History," is part of the Save Our History‘ campaign, The History Channel’s award-winning national initiative dedicated to historic preservation and history education.

In addition, The Atlantic Monthly will present a special feature insert, sponsored by Shell Oil Company, on the National Trust’s 11 Most Endangered list in the July/August issue of the magazine.

History: Built on a man-made island in the Hackensack River, the water works began in 1882 as a pumping station supplying a safe, clean water supply to much of Northern New Jersey. The machinery, intact and spanning a period over one hundred years, documents key developments of the Industrial Revolution, particularly the evolution from steam to electricity. The plant is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.

Threat: The Hackensack Water Company closed the site in 1990, and it soon became the property of Bergen County. Following years of vacancy and minimal maintenance, in 2001, Bergen County requested permission from the state to demolish the vast majority of the Water Works complex, and to convert a few remaining fragments of the buildings into a proposed "ruin."

Solution: A state and national coalition of organizations has formed to advocate on behalf of the Water Works and to retain the complex with an appropriate adaptive reuse. A non-profit group, the Water Works Conservancy, has developed a preservation and restoration proposal that includes plans for a museum, education center, environmental center, Hackensack River research center and cultural wing. The future of this extraordinary site currently lies in the hands of the State of New Jersey, specifically the Department of Environmental Protection, which has the final authority to choose between a vision of this site as a ruin or as a living legacy to American technology ingenuity for future generations.

America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has identified more than 135 threatened one-of-a-kind historic treasures since 1988. While a listing does not ensure the protection of a site or guarantee funding, the designation has been a powerful tool for raising awareness and rallying resources to save endangered sites from every region of the country. Whether these sites are urban districts or rural landscapes, Native American landmarks or 20th-century sports arenas, entire communities or single buildings, the list spotlights historic places across America that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.

Recent 11 Most successes: Since the listing of New Hampshire's grand 1874 Wentworth By the Sea Hotel in 1996, the property has undergone a complete restoration and is scheduled to reopen as a luxury resort in 2003. When the West Side of Downtown Baltimore was added to the list in 1999, the 24-block historic commercial and entertainment district - parts of which date back to the mid-18th century - was slated for redevelopment and large scale demolition. Thanks to public outcry resulting from the 11 Most listing and the work of dedicated preservationists, the city of Baltimore threw out its old plan and put forth a new one that will save the majority of the area's historic buildings. Two major landmarks saved from demolition have already been renovated as apartment buildings.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places is sponsored by Shell Oil. Media sponsors include The History Channel and The Atlantic Monthly. The National Trust is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the National Trust provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize communities. Its Washington, DC headquarters staff, six regional offices and 21 historic sites work with the Trust’s quarter-million members and thousands of local community groups in all 50 states. For more information, call 1-800-315-NTHP or visit the National Trust’s web site at www.nationaltrust.org/11most.

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