Lackawanna Station (formerly known as Lackawanna Terminal) located in Montclair NJ was once a bustling hub of transit activity, opening on June 28, 1913. Laying claim to no less than four platforms and six rail tracks, it served the Montclair area until 1981.
Constructed to be part of the Morris & Essex rail lines, part of the Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western Railroad, it opened to much fanfare, having a grand opening ceremony and all the trappings you would expect of a major train station inauguration.
The story of Lackawanna terminal is, however, not an entirely happy one at all. Its designer and architect, one William Hull Botsford, was tragically killed during one of the most famous tragedies ever, the sinking of the RMS Titanic, that fateful day of April 15, 1912. Botsford was the chief designer for the railroad and designed many stations in the NJ & NY region. Interestingly, he also designed the Tunkhannock Viaduct, alternatively known as Nicholson Bridge, in Nicholson PA, which spans the Tunkhannock Creek. Botsford taught architecture night courses in his home of Orange NJ, and had been known to be a champion wrestler, and even a talented vocalist. He seems to have been a true renaissance man.
Botsford traveled the world during his lifetime to study architecture and design, going to places across Europe, as well as Turkey and Egypt. His journey, sadly, would be cut short as for his return trip to the United States, he made the fateful decision to purchase a second class ticket for a mere 13 pounds, aboard the ill-fated vessel, departing Southampton, UK.
The Lackawanna Terminal in Montclair was to be the final station he designed before his untimely death aboard the Titanic. The Tunkhannock Viaduct was his final overall work, its design having been approved literally right before he embarked on what was to be his final journey ever.
Botsford's remains were never recovered, and his epitaph reads "Architect - Victim of Titanic". He is buried alongside his sister. His legacy is the many terminals he designed, the Tunkhannock Viaduct, and the many minds he inspired teaching those night courses at the YMCA, as well as the many jounals he contributed to architectural publications of his time.
We were inspired to visit the Lackawanna Station on a tip from a good friend of ours on a retail discussion board, a young man who goes by Bland Malls Corporation. He's got a YouTube channel, you might want to check him out, also. I've been very encouraged by his enthusiasm and passion for malls and retail... so refreshing to see young people showing interest in preserving the past.
You can watch his video that inspired us to go check out the place HERE:
Lackawanna Terminal would open, sadly without its designer alive to see it happen. I hope, through this blog post, to keep his legacy alive, by sharing at least one of his creations. One which would go on, in the 1980s, to have a brand new life, as a mall, once it was decommisioned as a rail terminal, in favor of a single platform station elsewhere in Montclair, at the Bay Street Terminal.
There isn't much information on its time as a mall, but the exterior of the station was renovated in 2008. Pictures can be found online of it as a mall in the 2010s. I share here, the photos of how we found Lackawanna Station in late 2019, as well as the video we did for our YouTube channel.
Lackawanna was placed on the National Register of Historic Places back on January 8, 1973. Its significance as a transportation hub in Montclair, in addition to its architectural features, specifically the masonry, marble, and tile work, adding to that the overall aesthetic and ironwork via the ticket windows that used to be active with rail passengers paying their fares. Another major reason for its inclusion on the Register, was the historic importance of it's architect, William Hull Botsford; his prolific life and tragic untimely demise aboard the ill-fated vessel, the Titanic.
The site is part of an ongoing controversy surrounding its potential redevelopment into a mixed use center featuring low-income housing, retail, a grocery store, and more. We will keep you posted if more becomes available, but the city planning commission and developers seemingly are at a crossroads - plans were to have begun last year, but were stalled on pushback from Montclair officials. I'm guessing that the historic significance of the site has everything to do with the hesitance to go forward with the previously approved development plans. Perhaps the plans would have altered the site too much to retain its historic status? Only time will tell what the future has in store for this property.
More on that can be read HERE:
We at Raw & Real Retail love uncovering the untold stories of these places, and this recent deep dive into researching this location was fruitful beyond my wildest dreams. Who knew a life of such triumph and tragedy was behind the development of many rail terminals in NJ and NY, and in this case, one which would find its way into the annals of retail history, after taking on a new purpose as a shopping mall so many years later? When I found out the story of Botsford, his work and legacy, and how his life was cut short by one of the most famous tragic events in history... well, I had to bring it to my readers here at R&R Reflections.
Watch our YouTube video of Lackawanna Station we filmed in November of 2019.
What remains of the mall are several empty storefronts. One that really captured my attention was the former DOTS store, with its prominent labelscar.
A former Payless is also present in Lackawanna Station.
H&R Block will be of no help at this location during anymore tax seasons.
One of the few remaining tenants here is this Popeyes location.
Another is this pizza shop.
Hints of the old PathMark grocery store that used to be in the mall.
A couple of other storefronts that are vacant.
SKYLIGHT DETAIL
SIGNAGE OUTSIDE THE STATION.
This disused and blocked off hallway.
A former storefront used now as storage, for an unspecified purpose.
A former Dunkin Donuts location, as evident by the mural on the wall.
THANKS FOR TAKING A LOOK!
Learn more about William Hull Botsford HERE:
The above source as well as the Wikipedia article on Lackawanna Terminal were the main sources I pulled information and insight from to piece together the story here.
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Raw & Real Retail.
Nice photos! What an interesting story as well. Hopefully the redevelopment doesn't alter the place very much.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by! Really enjoyed researching this one, even though it is such a sad story. This is exactly the kind of thing I really like about this hobby of ours... you never know where the trail will lead. It's gratifying to follow it wherever it does. I certainly hope that the redevelopment plans include staying true to preservation efforts.
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