The South Orange Historical and Preservation Society has cho­sen NJ Transit as recipient of its 2008 Historic Preservation Award for the restoration of the South Orange train station.

During a ceremony at the station on Tuesday, a plaque presented by the society to NJ Transit was accepted by Sallie Morris, regional manager of government and com­munity relations for agency.

The plaque, which will be mounted at the station, notes the building’s inclusion on the Nation­al Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of His­toric Places.
A reception following the pres­entation featured the project engi­neers describing the history and restoration of the station. Also pre­sented were drawings of the 19th century structure that occupied site. A local elementary student, Jared Kofsky, then discussed the history of trains in South Orange and he was the biggest hit of the event.
Dignitaries attending the event included South Orange Village President Douglas Newman and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey.

This is the group’s second preservation award, which is given biannually for outstanding work in preservation and restoration in South Orange. The previous recepi­ent was the Church of St. Andrew and the Holy Communion for work on its 150-year-old building.
The South Orange Historical and Preservation Society was formed in 1986. The mission of the organization is to study and pro­mote the history of South Orange and its historic buildings