of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse by R. LaRovere
Hudson & Manhattan The Hudson & Manhattan RR Powerhouse building
is an industrial age icon. Christopher Gray, the architectural
history columnist of the New York Times, compares the Romanesque
Revival structure built between 1906 and 1908 to ". . . some
ancient, partly ruined cathedral--a masterpiece of brickwork."
The Powerhouse was designed by architect John Oakman of Carrere
and Hastings, who graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in
Paris. With his partner W. Powell Robins, Oakman received the
commission to design the Hudson & Manhattan stations, buildings,
and powerhouse from a relative, Walter G. Oakman, president of
the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad. The nine-story structure has a
solid steel superstructure and 28-inch thick walls. It is noted
for its brickwork and wide bay windows. James J. Ferris, for
whom one of Jersey City's high schools is named, laid the
foundation. One of the engineers in the project was L.B.
Stillwell, whose firm desig