Westwood Train Station Added To National Register

WESTWOOD, NJ – The train station in downtown Westwood has been included on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 88-year-old station, as well as nearby Veterans’ Park, was added on Jan. 28 to the list by the U.S. Department of the Interior, according to the National Parks Service.

Created in 1966 by Congress under the National Historic Preservation Act, the Registry is an official list of the country’s properties worthy of preservation because of their significance. There are more than 90,000 sites across the country, 1,700 in New Jersey and 275 in Bergen County.

The Westwood Train Station is the first listing on the register for the borough.

In 2018, the station and adjacent park became the first property in town to be added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places, thanks to efforts by Westwood’s Historic Preservation Commission.

In a Facebook post celebrating the news, the commission said, "Congratulations to the Westwood Train Station for becoming the FIRST location in Westwood to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places! Special thanks to David Hohmann for kicking off this project a few years back, Gregory Dietrich Preservation Consulting, Westwood Heritage Society, and the Westwood Governing Body for their support!"

According to the commission’s National Registry application, the passenger rail station played a key role in the development of Westwood. The area had rail service since 1870 and as the population grew, so did the need for a new rail station.

“Fulfilling its promise to enhance and attract families to the Borough of Westwood, the Westwood Railroad Station has played a leading role in its growth as a commuter suburb, as witnessed by its population surge from 4,884 in 1930 to 11,000 today, thereby enhancing Westwood’s identity as the ‘Hub of the Pascack Valley,’” the application says.

The commission spent nearly five years working to get the property included on the list. It has now set its sights on getting a (1880S) house located at 84 Washington Avenue designated.