Located in Middletown, the historic O&W train station is a former city hub that’s famed for its castle-like design. In its heyday, the station was an architectural marvel that served as a symbol of Middletown’s vitality with its 25,000-square-foot transportation hub. Originally built in the 1890s, the O&W train station thrived for decades during America’s Gilded Age until the railway went bankrupt in the 1950s. While the iconic building then became a nightclub and offices, it eventually fell into disrepair after a fire. Now, the City of Middletown is hiring Fusco Engineering and Land Surveying to lead a complete revitalization of the station.
Also based in Middletown, Fusco Engineering and Land Surveying is a trusted civil engineering partner with over 50 years of experience. In helping to secure funding in federal and state grants and historic preservation tax credits, Fusco CEO Alfred A. Fusco Jr. – who served as the City of Middletown’s commissioner of public works for 25 years – was instrumental in saving the landmark from demolition.
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The revitalization project will preserve the building’s 130-year-old architectural accents and façade while transforming the interior and modernizing it for use as a daycare center. So far, the stabilization process has included remediating asbestos, identifying historically significant aspects for preservation, hiring an architect, and coordinating construction specifications and progress to ensure the building is to bid by April 30, 2026.
“I am proud and gratified that the architectural marvel that is the O&W Train Station will live on for generations as a mighty symbol of Middletown’s history and a beacon for its exciting future,” says Fusco, noting that his grandfather worked for O&W. “This will be a milestone in the City of Middletown’s ongoing revitalization, and it’s wonderful that O&W’s rebirth will help young lives prosper.”
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After the revitalization is complete, the Regional Economic Community Action Program (RECAP) will call the building home and operate a daycare center for 222 children. The daycare will further RECAP’s mission of empowering people and communities challenged by poverty, racism, and social injustice by providing high-quality health and human services, education, and hope. The former O&W train station will feature 10 classrooms, an indoor multipurpose room, and an outdoor playground encompassing 7,200 square feet.
Included in the revitalization project are plans to preserve the signature character of the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Fusco Engineering led extensive efforts in this endeavor, including cleansing, preserving, and reusing the original bricks, keeping the interior arches and woodwork, and using ornamental wood designs in the building as stencils to craft modern replacements. Other additions to the building include an exact replica of the well-known clock at the main entrance that features the O&W logo and new elevators.
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