Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Paterson, New Jersey) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
St. John's Cathedral

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Location in Passaic County, New Jersey
40°54′46″N 74°10′21″W / 40.91278°N 74.17250°W / 40.91278; -74.17250
Location	381 Grand Street Paterson, New Jersey
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Former name(s)	St. John's Church
Status	Cathedral
Dedicated	July 31, 1870 (1870-07-31)
Consecrated	June 29, 1890 (1890-06-29)
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	P. C. Keely of New York
Architectural type	Cathedral
Style	Neo-gothic
Groundbreaking	September 10, 1865 (1865-09-10)
Construction cost	$200,000
Specifications
Capacity	1700-1800
Length	180 feet (55 m)
Width	88 feet (27 m)
Number of spires	1
Spire height	225 feet (69 m)
Materials	Brownstone, most of which was obtained from local quarries in Little Falls
Administration
Diocese	Paterson

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is a very old and important Catholic building in Paterson, New Jersey. It's the main church for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. This beautiful cathedral is so special that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

History of St. John's Cathedral
See also

History of St. John's Cathedral

Building a New Church

In the 1820s, more and more Catholic people moved to Paterson. Many came from Ireland to work in the city's growing factories. By 1870, a large number of these new residents were Irish immigrants. They often lived near the big mills, especially in an area called "Dublin" on Grand Street.

This is where Father William N. McNulty started his work. He helped the fast-growing Catholic community.

Planning the Cathedral

Two years after Father McNulty arrived, he bought sixteen lots of land. This land was at the corner of Grand and Main streets. He bought it from a powerful company called the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.). This purchase in 1865 made sure there was enough space for a much bigger St. John's Church.

The church members were very excited about this new project. They quickly raised all the money needed to buy the land ($10,000) in just two months!

Construction and Completion

They hired a famous architect from New York, P. C. Keely. His job was to design a church that would be "unequaled in New Jersey." The first stone for the new church was laid on September 10, 1865.

The church was finished and ready to be used by the summer of 1870. Building it cost about $200,000. Later, in 1937, the church became a Cathedral when the Diocese of Paterson was created.