Downtown Paterson facts for kids
Downtown Paterson is the main business area in Paterson, New Jersey. It's the oldest part of the city, located right next to the Passaic River and its amazing Great Falls. This area is generally bordered by Interstate 80, Garret Mountain Reservation, and the Passaic River.
Contents
A Look at Downtown Paterson
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Paterson Downtown Commercial Historic District
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Main Street in Paterson
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 Location in Passaic County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Patterson, Ward and Gross streets, and Hamilton Avenue |
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| Area | 41 acres (17 ha) |
| Built | 1851 |
| Architect | John Merven Carrère; et al. |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts, Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 99000192 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 12, 1999 |
After a huge fire in 1902, the city rebuilt Downtown Paterson. Many buildings were designed in the beautiful Beaux-Arts style. These buildings are usually four to seven stories tall.
Downtown Paterson is home to important buildings like Paterson City Hall and the Passaic County Court House. City Hall was designed in 1894 and looks like a famous city hall in Lyon, France. Many buildings were designed by a local architect named Fred Wesley Wentworth. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist even survived the big fire!
Since Paterson is the county seat, it has many government offices. You'll also find Passaic County Community College here. Center City Mall is a large shopping mall that opened in 2009. There's also a huge mosque, Masjid Jalalabad, which can hold 1,500 people.
Downtown Paterson is a very diverse area. Many people from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Peru, and Mexico live here. In fact, Little Lima is the biggest Peruvian American community in the United States.
Historic Places
Many historic places in Paterson are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Several of these are right in Downtown. This includes the Paterson Downtown Commercial Historic District itself. Paterson City Hall and Public School Number Two are also on this list. The Old Great Falls Historic District is also very close to Downtown.
Tallest Buildings
Downtown Paterson has several tall and important buildings. Here are some of them:
| Rank | Name | image | Height | Floors | Year |
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| 1 | Alexander Hamilton Plaza |  |
53.65 m (176.0 ft) | 14 | 1973 |
| The Hamiltonian | 51.59 m (169.3 ft) | 14 | 2014 | ||
| 2 | Cathedral of St. John the Baptist |  |
spire | 1868 | |
| 3 | Paterson City Hall |  |
49.99 m (164.0 ft) | tower | 1896 |
| St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center | 39.62 m (130.0 ft) | 9 | 1928 | ||
| Passaic County Court House Annex |  |
spire | 1898 | ||
| Old Passaic County Court House |  |
dome | 1898 | ||
| YMCA Building | 33.16 m (108.8 ft) | 9 | 1929 | ||
| Passaic County Administration Building |  |
33.16 m (108.8 ft) | 9 | 1994 | |
| Fabian Building | 29.48 m (96.7 ft) | 9 | 1925 | ||
| Alexander Hamilton Hotel | 29.48 m (96.7 ft) | 8 | 1925 | ||
| Center City Mall | 25.79 m (84.6 ft) | 5 | 2009 | ||
| Passaic County Court House | 25.79 m (84.6 ft) | 7 | 1968 | ||
| Robert A. Roe Federal Building | 22.11 m (72.5 ft) | 6 |
Business and Shopping
Downtown Paterson is the city's main business area. The streets like Market Street and Main Street are very busy. Long ago, Downtown was a popular shopping spot for all of northern New Jersey. Over time, many shoppers moved to bigger malls outside the city.
Today, many shops in Downtown are small, local businesses. In 1997, a special group called a "special improvement district" (SID) was created. This group helps make Downtown look nice with new signs and lights. They also have staff to help keep the streets clean and safe. The SID helps with city events too, like the Great Falls Festival and the big 4th of July fireworks show.
Downtown Paterson was also part of an "Urban Enterprise Zone" (UEZ). This meant that some stores could sell things with a lower sales tax, which was good for shoppers! The UEZ also helped improve Downtown with new benches, garbage cans, and bus shelters.
Dublin Area
The "Dublin" area is considered the very first neighborhood in Paterson. It grew up around the mills near the Great Falls. This area has a long history and has been home to many different groups of people. It was first settled by Irish immigrants. Later, people from England and Italy moved there. Today, many people from Peru and Argentina live in the Dublin area.
Transportation
It's easy to get around Downtown Paterson.
- Trains: The Paterson train station is right in Downtown. You can catch New Jersey Transit trains here.
- Buses: The Broadway Bus Terminal is a major bus station. Many local and Manhattan-bound buses start here.
- Highways: Interstate 80 passes just south of Downtown. New Jersey Route 19 connects Interstate 80 to Downtown.
