Hoboken Terminal Rehabilitation Phase II

Architect

Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP
New York, New York

Constructed in 1901 as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Terminal Complex, Hoboken Terminal was designed in the Beaux Arts style by architect Kenneth Murchison. The terminal was a milestone in American transportation development, combining rail, ferry, and pedestrian facilities in one of the most innovatively designed and engineered structures in the nation. Overall, Hoboken Terminal is clad in extremely intricate architectural copper. Unfortunately, severe corrosion to underlying steel members and delayed or inappropriate maintenance combined to necessitate extensive restoration of the terminal.

The $11 million Phase II of the rehabilitation called for a complete restoration and/or replacement of copper elements on the exterior of the ferry slips.

Schtiller & Plevy used more than 100,000 pounds of copper and 25,000 pounds of stainless steel bars for the fabrication and installation of elements on six slips. The workers installed new and old refurbished copper on the new substrate, consisting of concrete and ¼-inch by 2-inch stainless steel armature (structural ironwork). The design team's structural engineer required this abnormal thickness of the armatures to prevent any wind uplift of both the existing 100-year-old copper and of the new copper.

Architectural Category: Exotic or Unusual Applications