NJ Transit wraps up Red Bank Station restoration project

New Jersey Transit has completed a three-year, $2.5 million restoration of the historic Red Bank commuter-rail station.

Built in 1876, Red Bank Station was added to the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places in 1976. The project was designed to stabilize the facility and restore its original aesthetics, NJ Transit officials said in a press release.

Efforts were taken to repair roof soffits, strengthen the structure's wood framing, replace shingles with historically accurate slate roof, repoint the brick foundation wall and the brick chimney, recreate a brick “crown" atop the chimney, and install new windows and roof dormers.

Additionally, the project included the reconstruction of "Yankee" gutters, installation of new downspouts and replacement of historic windows, shutters and gingerbread trim with historically correct material. The station's exterior now matches its original 1876 color scheme.

In addition to preserving the station's historic stature, the project helped rejuvenate the station district as an anchor in a new transit-based housing development effort in Red Bank, N.J., said Mayor Pasquale Menna.

"It recommits our town to a strong commercial and transit based future as we move forward with new complimentary projects," he said.

The station serves NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Rail Line. The Red Bank Station averages 1,187 weekday passenger boardings and 67 trains daily.