What’s that building??

It’s common to pass Hudson County’s huge structures and not know what they are. Some are empty, some are being renovated, and others are on the New Jersey Register of Historical Places.

But they all have one thing in common: they leave people wondering, “What’s that building?”

Yardley Building – Union City The Yardley Building, formerly a soap factory, lingers on Palisades Avenue in Union City with few signs of life.

The six-acre plot and post-industrial building have been in a legal entanglement between the Union City Redevelopment Agency and current owner Richard Kocher.

Kocher originally had an agreement for redevelopment with Jersey City developer Joseph Panepinto Properties, but there was a falling out between the two that has led to lawsuits, according to Tom Leane, executive director for the Union City Redevelopment Agency.

The Redevelopment Agency has offered to buy the tower and is currently waiting for Kocher to accept or reject it.

If he accepts it, the city might give Panepinto the chance to redevelop the property. Panepinto has turned in a conceptual design which it will present to the Planning Board once ownership is decided.

The building would be primarily residential, with 350 units, although a portion of the structure facing Palisades Avenue would have retail space and a commercial garage.

If the building is redeveloped, it could mean relocation for many businesses that are currently in the Yardley Building.

“There are a number of businesses located inside the building, all on monthly leases,” Leane said. “If we acquire it we have to help them relocate. The law is very specific; it’s a pretty complex situation.”

Eduardo Tajonera, owner of Eddy’s Doors and Cabinets, moved his new store into a first-floor space of the old Yardley Building four months ago and could be affected by the relocation.

Tajonera had previously been working in Hoboken for another business, but moved to Union City because the rent was reasonable. He pays approximately $2,000 per month for the location.

While one of Tajonera’s friends complained about the lack of affordable space for new store owners, another talked of the hope for Tajonera’s store.

“It’s just the beginning. It’s a new business. It’s going to grow,” said George Cabrera.

Yardley still has a corporate office in New York City.

Weehawken Water Tower The red Weehawken Water Tower, standing tall on Park Avenue near the Pathmark Supermarket, was built in 1883, before the Statue of Liberty was brought to the New York Harbor.

Originally built for the Hackensack Water Company, for years it served the people of Weehawken, Union City and Hoboken, holding 165,000 gallons of water.

The tower stands 175 feet high and 300 feet above sea level. Its designer, Frederick Clarke Withers, modeled it after the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy.

When Weehawken acquired it in 2000 from private ownership, the city decided it was time for a change, and now the tower is about to begin its third phase of restoration.

“The whole place was renovated and cleaned,” said Matthew Papio, president of Paragon Restoration Corporation.

The company finished restoration of the exterior in September 2004, after approximately eight months of work. Joints were cut and reappointed, new slate was put on the roof, and the stonework was fixed at the base, he said. The windows were also replaced and a new flagpole now stands at the peak.

Alane Finnerty, chairperson of the Water Tower Preservation Committee, which was formed in 2000 when the tower was threatened to be demolished, said the interior was also stabilized. “Every floor had new steel supports and new wood floors,” she said.

Room was also left to allow for the installation of an elevator and fire staircase in the future.

Finnerty said she hopes to break ground with the next phase of the project Sept. 1, which will cost Weehawken $500,000.

This will include grading, paving and planting for a garden design that will surround the base of the tower, she said.

There will be a series of four, lighted, barrier-free courtyards, as well as plantings and a fountain.

“It’s a very unique design, we’re very excited about it,” Finnerty said.

In the future there are plans to brighten the entire tower with a “wash of light” for the evenings. “It’s so visible from the left side of New York; it would be really impressive and special,” she said.

Finnerty also hopes that one day there will be a plaque for the tower, possibly given through a historical society grant. The tower is currently on both State and Federal registers of Historic Places, and has been listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places as the Hackensack Water Company Complex.

Despite its location on Park Avenue next to a bustling shopping center, the tower can be seen from the Hudson River. Because of its height, the “Red Tower,” as it is known on the Federal Maritime Chart, coincidentally served as a landmark that guided ships moving south from upstate New York.

When they spotted the Red Tower, they knew they were approaching the Hudson River.

While standing on the U.S.S. Intrepid with her family, Finnerty said she could see the tower, and deck workers told her they always wondered what it was.

“If I had a wish, it would be for a way to link the history of the area and the people of the area,” she said. “It would be a dream of mine to have that network, and to exchange and share that information.”

Lackawanna Warehouse and Viaduct – Jersey City near Hoboken border It’s a block-long structure on the border of Jersey City near Hoboken, and it’s been there since the early 20th century.

The Lackawanna Warehouse and Viaduct – also known by its newer name, the Hudson Industrial Center – is located on 16th Street from Grove to Henderson streets in Jersey City. It cannot be missed when driving past the Holland Tunnel, toward Hoboken.

The once-industrial brick building was constructed between 1929 and 1930. It was originally used as a warehouse by the Lackawanna Railroad, said Bruce Brant, librarian in the Jersey Room at Jersey City Public Library.

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company connected Pennsylvania’s coal-rich Lackawanna Valley to New York City, Buffalo, and Oswego, N.Y.

“The trains would pull in and they would store material there,” Brant said.

Elevated tracks still run beside the 16th Street façade, and there are loading platforms there.

The building is a “truly monumental and imposing tribute to the Lackawanna Railroad and to turn-of-the-century warehouse architecture,” according to Joseph Brooks and Peter Lynch of the Jersey City Division of Urban Research and Design.

In 1981, the two men recorded a good deal of description on the building in a survey for the Historic Preservation Section for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Office of Cultural and Environmental Services.

The old warehouse, which is now used commercially, is not yet on the New Jersey Register of Historical Places. Still, Lackawanna Warehouse has been given a positive SHPO Opinion, an opinion of eligibility issued by the State Historic Preservation Officer.

The warehouse’s well-known rectangular shape is in the “international with Romanesque cornice” style, with an exterior wall consisting of brick, stone and glass, according to the survey.

It currently houses companies such as: HMS Monaco (which manufactures and imports costume jewelry and novelties), Vita Pharmacy, Zelouf International Corp., Sadler Inc., Coupon Services Corp., Direct Access Market, M. London INL, Downtown Interiors, and Log On NJ LLC.

It is owned by Lackawanna Warehouse Corporation of New Jersey and New Rock Properties, whose office resides on the eighth floor of the building.

Secaucus Junction It’s been passed by millions of people driving along the New Jersey Turnpike.

Its enormous size and shiny-new-building glow leave an impression in the mind to residents who pass it often.

But even those who heard that a new train station was coming to Secaucus might not realize that the shiny, blocky structure by the highway is that station.

The transfer-only station first opened its doors Dec. 8, 2003, according to George Jenson, Secaucus’ transportation coordinator.

The 312,000-square-foot station links 10 of the 11 NJ Transit lines. Destinations from Secaucus Junction include New York City, the Jersey shore, Trenton, downtown Newark, Newark Liberty International Airport and others.

The building has three floors, street level, mezzanine and concourse. Although there is no parking at the station, residents of Secaucus can reach the station for just $1, Jenson said.

Shuttle buses in Secaucus run three times in the morning and three times in the evening during the week.

“The purpose is to get the people to the transfer station in the morning and back home in the evening,” he said.

The stops include: Koelle Boulevard and Mill Ridge Road, Stonewall Lane and Central Lane, Paterson Plank Road and Hops Lane, Trolley Park, Paterson Plank Road and Born Street, Plaza Center, Golden Avenue and Centre Avenue, Centre Avenue and Tenth Street, and the parking lot at 222 Meadowlands Parkway, according to Jenson.

Other commuters can reach the junction by NJ Transit bus and rail from various locations throughout the state.

More Secaucus buildings The train station is not the only building in Secaucus that leaves people wondering. In fact, there are many other prominent structures that jump out to the average eye.

For example, the red Harmon Cove Towers high-rise condominiums on the Meadowlands Parkway can be seen from locations all around Secaucus, and the campus-like look of Meadowview Hospital on County Avenue is sure to make drivers curious as they pass by.

Ever wonder why there are so many UPS tractor trailer trucks are driving around Secaucus? It’s because the city has a UPS site on County Avenue. It seems to extend forever on that avenue, although many might not notice the signs on the long buildings as they whiz past them down the street.