Harsimus Stem Embankment
Encyclopedia
The Harsimus Stem Embankment, also called Sixth Street Embankment, is a half-mile-long historic railroad embankment
, now abandoned and largely overgrown with foliage, in the heart of Jersey City's
historic downtown
. Twenty seven high, it runs along the south side of Sixth Street, west from Marin Boulevard to Brunswick Street and is the border between the Harsimus
and Hamilton Park
neighborhoods. The overhead tracks of the beam bridge
west of Brunswick Street have been dismantled and the stone abutment
s remain.
This elevated stone structure once carried seven tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad
's Passaic and Harsimus Line
to its freight yards and carfloat operations on the Hudson River at Harsimus Cove, and its vast warehouse and distribution facility, now Harborside Financial Center
. The line was part of the railroad's vast holdings on the waterfront which included the Exchange Place
passenger terminal and the Greenville Yard. The Embankment is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places
, is eligible for the National Register
, and is a Jersey City municipal landmark.
A local citizens' movement is lobbying local governments, chiefly Hudson County
and the city of Jersey City, to acquire the land and convert the Embankment to a public park. The developer who owns the land that the Embankment sits on is opposed. In September 2010 a federal court ruled that sale to the developer was legal and that the city has previously not exercised its first option to buy the right-of-way from Conrail. The decision may lead the city to take the structure through eminent domain., though a $1 million grant request was not honored.
The developer's proposals to sell portions of the land to the city have been rejected. The case is being brought to a higher appeals court.
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
, now abandoned and largely overgrown with foliage, in the heart of Jersey City's
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
historic downtown
Downtown Jersey City
Downtown is an area of Jersey City, New Jersey that includes the Historic Downtown and the Waterfront. Historic Downtown can be further broken down into the neighborhoods of Harsimus Cove, The Village, Van Vorst Park, Grove Street, Hamilton Park and Boyle Plaza...
. Twenty seven high, it runs along the south side of Sixth Street, west from Marin Boulevard to Brunswick Street and is the border between the Harsimus
Harsimus
Harsimus is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment in the north to Christopher Columbus Drive in the south between Coles Street and Grove Street or more broadly, to Marin Boulevard...
and Hamilton Park
Hamilton Park, Jersey City
Hamilton Park is a neighborhood in Historic Downtown in Jersey City, centered around a park with the same name. Hamilton Park is located west of Newport, north of Harsimus Cove, north and east of The Village and south of Boyle Plaza. The Victorian age park is located between Eighth Street and...
neighborhoods. The overhead tracks of the beam bridge
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
west of Brunswick Street have been dismantled and the stone abutment
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
s remain.
This elevated stone structure once carried seven tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's Passaic and Harsimus Line
Passaic and Harsimus Line
Conrail's Passaic and Harsimus Line serves freight in northeastern New Jersey, as an alternate to the mainly passenger Northeast Corridor. It takes trains from the Northeast Corridor and Lehigh Line near Newark Liberty International Airport northeast and east into Jersey City, New Jersey, serving...
to its freight yards and carfloat operations on the Hudson River at Harsimus Cove, and its vast warehouse and distribution facility, now Harborside Financial Center
Harborside Financial Center
The Harborside Financial Center is an office complex in the Exchange Place district of Jersey City, New Jersey located on the Hudson Waterfront. It contains the Harborside Plazas 2 and 3, Harborside Plaza 1, Harborside Plaza 4A, Harborside Plaza 10, and the Harborside Plaza 5...
. The line was part of the railroad's vast holdings on the waterfront which included the Exchange Place
Exchange Place (PRR station)
The Pennsylvania Railroad Station was the intermodal passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad's vast holdings on the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey. By the 1920s the station was called Exchange Place in response to local nomenclature...
passenger terminal and the Greenville Yard. The Embankment is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the Historic Preservation Office of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.The register was...
, is eligible for the National Register
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and is a Jersey City municipal landmark.
A local citizens' movement is lobbying local governments, chiefly Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
and the city of Jersey City, to acquire the land and convert the Embankment to a public park. The developer who owns the land that the Embankment sits on is opposed. In September 2010 a federal court ruled that sale to the developer was legal and that the city has previously not exercised its first option to buy the right-of-way from Conrail. The decision may lead the city to take the structure through eminent domain., though a $1 million grant request was not honored.
The developer's proposals to sell portions of the land to the city have been rejected. The case is being brought to a higher appeals court.
See also
- Bergen HillBergen HillBergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
- Bergen ArchesBergen ArchesBergen Arches is an abandoned railroad right of way through Bergen Hill in Jersey City, New Jersey.-History:...
- HarsimusHarsimusHarsimus is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment in the north to Christopher Columbus Drive in the south between Coles Street and Grove Street or more broadly, to Marin Boulevard...
- Jersey City Branch
- The High Line