Downtown Patterson New Jersey Walking Tour

Entries on This Tour

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic cathedral and parish church located in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey. Designed by prolific Irish-born church architect Patrick Charles Keely, constructed of brownstone quarried in nearby Little Falls, and built by the hands of its parishioners, the Gothic Revival church was dedicated in July 1870 and began holding services soon afterwards. In December 1937, Pope Pius XI designated it the cathedral (or seat) of the newly-formed Diocese of Paterson. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was placed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places in the late 1970s.

2. Old Passaic County Courthouse

The Old Passaic County Courthouse was built at 71 Hamilton Street between 1898 and 1903; the domed limestone building is in the form of a Greek cross and is late Italian Renaissance Revival style. The building and grounds with statuary were nominated to the National Register in 2015 as an historic district, along with a contemporary building to the north, the former U.S. Customs House and Post Office/ now County Annex (at 63-65 Hamilton, also a Clio entry). In 1968, a new building was constructed adjacent to the south grounds to house the new Passaic County Courthouse (77 Hamilton Street). A low wall of stone or cast iron outlines the district and dates to the late 19th/early 20th century. Both buildings also are listed in the New Jersey Register.

3. U.S. Customs House and Post Office/ Court House Annex

This historic customs house and post office was constructed in 1899 and features dark brick accented with limestone and a complex roofline with three towers. Passaic County acquired the Dutch Baroque Revival Style building in 1936 for use as the Passaic County Administration Building, and it is now the Court House Annex. Passaic County's administrative offices moved to a new building in 1994, behind the new court house, at 401 Grand St. The Court House Annex building underwent extensive renovations from 2017 to 2021. The building is part of a National Register Historic District that also includes the neighboring Old Passaic County Courthouse (the domed building at 71 Hamilton Street, also a Clio entry).

4. Paterson City Hall

This historic structure was built to mark the city's centennial in 1896. The limestone building features the Beaux Arts style of architecture and the design of the clock tower was inspired by the city hall of Lyon in France, the center of the silk industry in Europe. A statue by the front entrance honors Garret Augustus Hobart (1844-1899), a local politician and the 24th Vice President under William McKinley from 1897 to 1899. The bronze statue was ready in 1902 but was not installed until 1904 owing to a 1902 fire that required significant reconstruction of the building's interior. The Paterson City Hall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and still serves as the seat of city government.

5. Lou Costello Memorial Statue

Erected in the early 1990s by the City of Paterson in partnership with the Lou Costello Memorial Association, the Lou Costello Memorial Statue is located in Lou Costello Memorial Park in downtown Paterson, New Jersey. The life-size bronze statue, entitled “Lou’s on First,” commemorates the life and career of actor and comedian Lou Costello. A native of Paterson, Costello teamed-up with Bud Abbott to form one of the greatest comedy duos of all time. For a period of twenty years, between 1936 and 1956, the duo appeared on radio and Broadway and starred in many films and television shows. Costello died on March 3, 1959 after suffering a heart attack. He was fifty-two years old. His remains are buried in Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.

6. Argus Mill

This three-story brick building at 6 Mill Street was constructed in the mid-1870s as a warehouse for the textile mill R & H Adams, which was located on the west side of Mill Street. Robert and Henry Adams manufactured mosquito netting at the mill, and they stored the netting in the building at 6 Mill Street. The building later housed the Argus Yarn Mill starting in the 1940s. The interior of the building collapsed and had to be gutted before being restored in 2012. In 2020, plans were being made for the vacant building to be renovated again and turned into affordable housing and office space. Argus Mill was added to the existing National Register historic district for Great Falls of Paterson/Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (SUM) in 1986, which already included the former mills across Mill Street. It also is listed in the City of Paterson Register of Historic Places.

7. Thompson and Ryle Houses

The two houses at 8 and 9 Mill Street are 2-1/2 stories with a raised basement and dormer windows; both were built in the early 1830s in the Federal style. The front facades of the frame houses have been faced in brick since the 1890s or earlier. The historic houses were moved to their present location in November 1979, from a location just up the street, to save them from demolition due to upcoming road realignment of Ellison Street. Daniel Thompson was the orignal owner of his house (now at 8 Mill Street). Thompson was a cotton manufacturer whose business was across the street. John Ryle occupied his house from 1849 to 1859 (now at 9 Mill Street). Ryle is credited with beginning the silk indistry in Paterson and served as the city's mayor in 1869-1870. The houses were listed together on the National Register in 1981.

8. Public School Number Two

The brick building with the Mansard style roof at the corner of Mill and Passaic Streets was constructed in 1871 as a school building. "Public School Number Two" replaced an earlier, frame building a few blocks away that was too small and dilapidated for its 605 primary and grammar school students and seven teachers. A local architect, E.J.M. Derrick, designed the Victorian Gothic school building for the new Public School Number Two. The building is two-and-a-half stories tall and once sported a hipped roof bell tower above the front entrance. A new Public School Number Two was built next door in the 1920s, at 22 Passaic Street; the massive, three-story brick structure over a raised basement is still a city public school. The vacant school building from 1871 was listed in the National Register in 1977; it was owned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation at that time.

9. Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park

Great Falls National Historic Park is a 118 acre historic site located 12 miles from New York City. Paterson's location next to one of the largest waterfalls in the US led to industrial development in this area, especially prior to the age of steam-powered machinery when mills and factories relied upon moving water. Visitors to this National Historic Park can see the remnants of mills from the 18th and 19th centuries and learn about the history of industry and labor in this part of New Jersey. The park also tells the history of Paterson, established in 1791 as America's first planned city.

10. The Paterson Museum

Known as the focal point of the Old Great Falls Historic District and housed in the former Thomas Rogers Building, site of a former locomotive factory, the Paterson Museum tells the industrial history of the city of Paterson. Exhibits and the museum's collection showcase everything from the original Lenni Lenape inhabitants to the first elements that would define Paterson as a American industrial city. Some of the exhibits display the John P. Hollands submarine, various industrial machinery used during the silk boom, Native American artifacts, old locomotives, a range of old guns, and much more. Additionally, the Paterson Museum has a large collection of 1900s-era medicine and medicinal instruments. Rotating exhibits often feature art.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Downtown Patterson New Jersey Walking Tour

Created by Clio Admin on June 21st 2018, 5:51:48 pm.

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Description

This tour includes several museums and historic buildings as it makes its way through the downtown area. New stops will be added to the tour as local historians create additional entries. Be sure to also view some nearby Patterson entries such as the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which was constructed in 1870, and sites related to the history of the African American community and Underground Railroad.

Entries on This Tour

Downtown Patterson New Jersey Walking Tour

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