Hackensack Water Company Complex Facts for Kids

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Hackensack Water Company Complex
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Red tower
Location in Hudson County, New Jersey
Location	4100 Park Avenue, Weehawken, New Jersey
Area	7.7 acres (3.1 ha)
Built	1883
Architect	Withers, Frederick C.
NRHP reference No.	80002491
Added to NRHP	January 3, 1980

The Hackensack Water Company Complex is a group of old buildings in Weehawken, New Jersey. These buildings are so important that they are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Hackensack Water Company, which is now called Suez North America, was in charge of providing water to people in northeastern New Jersey. They did this from the 1870s to the 1970s.

At first, the company supplied water to the city of Hackensack and the towns of North Hudson. Their main offices and facilities were in Hackensack, in Bergen County. Later, under Robert W. de Forest, who led the company for 46 years starting in 1881, they built new facilities. The company also moved its main office to Weehawken in Hudson County. They set up their offices inside a brick water tower, which is part of the complex you can see today.

Weehawken Water Tower: A Landmark Building
- How the Water Tower Worked
- Saving and Restoring the Tower
Hackensack Reservoir No. 2: A Park for the Community
- Creating a New Park
Jersey City Reservoir No. 3: A Wildlife Area
Images for kids
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Weehawken Water Tower: A Landmark Building

The most famous part of the complex is the red brick Weehawken Water Tower. It was built in 1883 on what is now Park Avenue, right on the edge of Union City. A famous architect named Frederick Clarke Withers designed it. He based his design on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. The tower stands very tall, about 175 feet high. It is also 300 feet above sea level, looking over the Hudson River.

How the Water Tower Worked

The tower was connected to a large water storage area called Reservoir No. 1. This reservoir was located on top of the Hudson Palisades, which are tall cliffs. Water was pumped to this reservoir from the Hackensack River, which was about 14 miles away. For people living in Hoboken, which is close to sea level, the reservoir provided enough water pressure. But for people living higher up on the Palisades, the water pressure was not strong enough.

The tower had two main jobs. First, it was the local office for the Hackensack Water Company. Second, it held a huge amount of clean drinking water, up to 165,000 gallons! This water was stored under pressure. It was used by homes, businesses, and also to help put out fires. The tower officially opened on September 29, 1883. It was a big event, and experts praised Withers for his clever design. The "Red Tower" is even marked on maps for ships. It helps them know they are getting close to New York Harbor when sailing south on the Hudson River.

Saving and Restoring the Tower

The Weehawken Water Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This important listing helped save it from being torn down. After this, the tower was kept in good condition. In 1981, a real-estate company bought the complex. They tore down the gatehouse and reservoir to build a supermarket and parking lot. But the tower was saved and kept strong.

In 2000, the town of Weehawken took over the property. They started a project to fix up the Water Tower Park. In 2004, a company finished eight months of work on the outside of the tower. They replaced the roof, fixed the stone at the bottom, and put in new windows. Inside, new steel supports and wood floors were added. There was even space left for an elevator and fire stairs. In 2005, a public plaza was built at the base of the tower. The inside of the tower was also fixed up in the late 2000s. In 2010, for the town's 150th anniversary, the inside brickwork was cleaned while keeping its historic look. In 2014, the mayor opened the tower for a reading series. This was the first time the restored tower had been used for an event in over 100 years!

Hackensack Reservoir No. 2: A Park for the Community

Historical marker at Palisade and Highpoint

View from Palisade Avenue

Hackensack Reservoir No. 2 was another important part of the water company's system in Weehawken. Later, it was owned by United Water, the company that took over. This site is a large piece of undeveloped land, covering more than 14 acres. It is in Weehawken Heights and is surrounded by Highpoint Avenue, Gregory Avenue, 20th Street, and Palisade Avenue. The last two streets form the border with Union City. This reservoir was built when many new buildings were going up in the area in the late 1800s.

A historical marker at the site tells us more:

Construction of the Hackensack Water Company's Reservoir No. 2 at the southern end of the township began circa 1893 to serve the Heights section of Weehawken, surrounding Union City and West Hoboken. The reservoir, excavated on glacial trap rock, came on line in 1896 with capacity of 69 million gallons. The company also installed a covered water tank in 1893 in what is now Gregory Park.

In 2011, United Water said they wanted to sell most of this property. The Trust for Public Land, a group that helps save land, helped delay the sale.

Creating a New Park

In 2010, the town of Weehawken started working to buy the land. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection gave the town a $2 million grant to help. They also got a large loan to buy the land and turn it into a park. Weehawken and Union City put in money to start changing the grounds into a place for people to relax and enjoy nature. They will also share the costs of keeping the park nice each year. The sale was completed in December 2011, and the park officially opened in 2015.

Jersey City Reservoir No. 3: A Wildlife Area

Reservoir #3 next to Pershing Field

While not originally part of the Hackensack Water Company, another reservoir on top of the Hudson Palisades is Jersey City Reservoir No. 3. This one was also built in the late 1800s in Jersey City Heights, Jersey City. It was closed to the public in the 1970s, and it stopped being used for city water in 1992. Since 2007, this open reservoir has been kept for public use as a place for wildlife. It is right next to Pershing Field. Another nearby reservoir, Reservoir #1, was located on either side of Summit Avenue, but it has since been taken down.