NJ TRANSIT Awards Contract for Brick Church Station Work

Image Courtesy of Jerrye & Roy Klotz, M.D.

NEWARK, N.J. – The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors awarded a contract for improvements to the historic Brick Church station.

The contract totals $3,122,603.89 and a 5% contingency and was awarded to John O’Hara Company Inc. in East Orange. The work includes restoring the interior walls, doors, and ceilings of the building, installing an historic plaque, and performing electrical work and restroom alterations to bring them up to ADA compliance. Additionally, crews will make upgrades to telecommunications and security, heating equipment, and painting.

As part of the $83.1 million FTA grant last month to replace current low-level platforms with accessible high-level platforms and elevators, the contract will include other improvements such as “restoring the historic benches and terrazzo floor as well as the historic windows and providing an art installation.”

NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett said the project “underscores our commitment to preserving the historical essence of our Brick Church Station, while equipping it with modern amenities to better serve our community . . . These improvements – combined with significant accessibility enhancements coming soon through the FTA’s generous All Stations Accessibility Program grant – will improve the daily commutes of countless residents, enhancing their quality of life and boosting the local economy in East Orange and beyond.”

NJ TRANSIT states rail service began in East Orange in 1836 as the Morris and Essex Railroad. In 1880, a new depot was built and used until the current station opened on December 18, 1921. Named for a nearby Temple of Unified Christians Brick Church, the brick headhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.