|
|
| THE HARSIMUS STEM EMBANKMENT |
 |
 |
| Embankment Preservation Coalition |
| The Harsimus Stem Embankment is an elevated stone structure that once carried seven tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad to the Hudson River Waterfront. It runs for a half mile along 6th street in downtown Jersey City, and joins the National Historic districts of Hamilton Park and Harsimus Cove. The Embankment is itself listed on the State Register of Historic Places, is eligible for the National Register, and is a Municipal Landmark. The Embankment and streetscape will be a linchpin in a network of walkable, bikeable greenways within the City of Jersey City, and beyond. From north to south along Jersey Avenue, a main boulevard, the Embankment will serve as a midpoint in a series of parks, including Hamilton Park, Van Vorst Park, and Liberty State Park. From east to , west the Embankment will join the Hudson Waterfront Walkway with the Hackensack Meadowlands, via the Bergen Arches. A 2004 Northern New Jersey Route Study for the East Coast Greenway recommends this latter route as the main ECG pathway through Hudson County. The route has been endorsed by all six counties and 26 municipalities along it. |
| WHY A LANDMARK? Read Rick James' Nomination of the Embankment to the State and National Registers of Historic places. |
| PRESS/ ARTICLES |
 |
| Please Patronize Our Business Sponsors! |
| GREAT NEWS |
| June 12, 2008. 2008 Embankment Preservation Coalition Benefit More than 170 attendees from all over the City and region attended dinner and cocktails at the Embankment restaurant. |
| May 14, 2009. Hardship Exemptions Denied After 25 hours of testimony over multiple hearings, the Jersey City Historic Preservation Commission voted 6-0 to deny applications for hardship exemptions that, if granted, would have allowed demolition of the Harsimus Branch Embankment. The Coalition board thanks supporters of Embankment preservation who attended hearings. We were impressed by the intelligent questions and patience of the Commissioners throughout these long hearings, and are gratified by the decision. |
 |
 |
 |
| October 25, 2009. The Coalition's Annual Members and Supporters Meeting Click here for our event wrapup |
| August 18, 2009. Zoning Board Affirms Historic Preservation Commission Decisions The Zoning Board of Adjustment affirmed the Historic Preservation Commission decisions that denied demolition permits for the Harsimus Embankment. |
| October 9, 2010 "Come Home to History" welcomed hundreds of visitors to a day of exhibits, workshops and presentations on local history at the Culinary Institute Conference Center. The Coalition was one of the organizers and exhibitors at this history fair, which observed the founding of the first European settlement in New Jersey (Bergen in what is now Jersey City), as well as other key moments in local history. |
| January 22, 2011. "Under, On, At, From, and Through!:
A Winter Walk on the High Line. We started the New Year with a slow walk on a brisk day, with temperatures in the 20s.Historic preservationist Allen Kratz and Friends of the High Line co-founder Robert Hammond led 24 hardy souls on an exploration of Manhattan's elevated rail park. |
| On Thursday, October 20, 2011 - DEMOLITION PERMITS DENIED , the Jersey City Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 5 to 0 to deny applications by six Limited Liability Companies and their partner Conrail to demolish the Harsimus Branch Embankment. The decision came after summations by the Coalition's attorney, Janine Bauer of Szaferman LaKind Blumstein & Blader, and by the attorney for the LLCs. In hearings that stretched over more than a year, the Board heard numerous expert witnesses and reviewed thousands of document pages to reach its decision. Among reasons for the denial, several commissioners cited the importance to the city of the Embankment, as expressed by citizens during the public comment portion of the hearings. It was gratifying to hear the commissioners validate the importance of your voices in their decision,. |
| August, 2011 Community leaders and individuals stepped up for preservation during thepublic comment portion of the Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings on applications for Certificates of Appropriateness that, if approved, would allow demolition of the Harsimus Embanmkent in its entirety, from Marin Boulevard to Brunswick Street. |
 |
| Saturday, June 4, 9:30 am until... Bike JC Ward Tour, Exchange Place, Jersey City. Stop by the Coalition/East Coast Greenway Association table to see what the Greenway will mean to you. |
| Images by Cassandra Wilday, Demetri Sarantitis and Jason Gould CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMAGES |
| Past Events and Outreach |
| Rails to-Trails Conservancy
- Sept 2011 High Hopes for the Harsimus Embankment: The Fight to Create an Elevated Rail-Trail in New Jersey, by Jake Lynch |
| Huge Win in Federal Court!
Appeals Court Decides City Has Standing Friday, February 3, 2012. In a decision issued today, the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, gives the City opportunities to pursue remedies for Conrail's premature sale of the Harsimus Branch. The decision reverses the previous dismissal by the U.S. District Court, D.C., of a suit brought by the City, Rails to Trails Conservancy, and the Embankment Preservation Coalition. Click to Read the opinion and rejoice! Nothing we can say here does a better job of summarizing the case and the history than the decision itself. |
| SAVE THESE DATES: March 22, May 21
Talks and Book Signings Continue Coalition Series |
| Thursday, March 22. Robert Hammond, co-founder of Friends of the High Line and a member of the Coalition Advisory Board, will present an illustrated talk on his recent book: High Line: An Insider's Guide to New York City's Park in the Sky. Robert will sign books, which will be available for purchase. Co-sponsored by Barrow Mansion Development Corp., and with support from the Harsimus Cove Association.
Monday, May 21. Robert W. Jackson, author of Highway Under the Hudson: A History of the Holland Tunnel, will talk about his book. which will be available for purchase and signing by the author. Co-sponsored by Barrow Mansion Development Corp. |
| Jersey Journal - Feb 4, 2012 Federal Appeals Court rules Jersey City has standing in Embankment Case |