Jersey City in Hudson County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The New Ferry Building – Ellis Island
Save America’s Treasures
— Statue of Liberty Nat’l Mon & Ellis Island —
Restoration of the New Ferry Building on Ellis Island is being supported in part by a Federal Save America’s Treasures award administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
New Ferry Building
In 1999, the Statue of Liberty National Monument/Ellis Island was awarded a $1.2 million federal challenge grant from the Save America’s Treasures program to restore the New Ferry Building. New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman’s advisory committee on Ellis Island helped secure the $1.2 million non-federal match for this grant in 2000.
The New Ferry Building was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1936 to replace an earlier ferry house in the same location. This new fireproof ferry house was made of brick and featured a high central pavilion surmounted by a copper-covered cupola and two single-story wings. The central pavilion housed a waiting room for immigrants, the left wing was designated for use by the United States Customs Service, and the right wing had a lunchroom with kitchen facilities.
The Ferry Building and its connecting corridors are the key connection between the immigrant processing facility in Main Building and the United States Public Health Service hospital complex on the other side of the island. Abandoned for over 45 years, the building is in an advanced state of decay. Funds will stabilize the building and restore its exterior.
For information on this and other stabilization projects underway on Ellis Island, please go to the Park’s website at www.nps.gov/elis.
Save America’s Treasures
Initiated in 1998, the Save America’s Treasures program helps communities around the United States maintain and restore their historic sites and objects. Save America’s Treasures is a public-private partnership of the White House Millennium Council, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Park Service. Ellis Island is one of the more than 550 national and local historic sites, collections, objects, and documents that have been designated as official projects of the Save America’s Treasures program.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1999.
Location. 40° 41.962′ N, 74° 2.468′ W. Marker is in Jersey City, New Jersey, in Hudson County. Marker can be reached from Liberty Island - Ellis Island. Marker is located on Ellis Island, near the end of the ferry slip. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Liberty Island - Ellis Island, Jersey City NJ 07305, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The South Side of Ellis Island (here, next to this marker); The American Immigrant Wall of Honor ® (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line in New York); Fort Gibson: The Other Ellis Island Story (about 700 feet away in New York); Fort Gibson: Uncovering the Past (about 700 feet away in New York); a different marker also named The American Immigrant Wall of Honor ® (about 700 feet away in New York); Delaware Indian Burials (about 700 feet away in New York); Fort Gibson: Defending the Approaches (about 700 feet away in New York); Fort Gibson: The New York Harbor System (about 700 feet away in New York).
More about this marker. A photo of the New Ferry Building and the south side of Ellis Island appears at the lower right side of the marker.
Also see . . . Ellis Island. National Park Service website. (Submitted on November 8, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,384 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 8, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.