DOWNTOWN COMMERCIAL HISTORIC GUIDELINES
Following the destruction of Paterson's downtown by a massive fire in 1902, many magnificent Beaux Arts buildings were erected between 1903 - 1910. These were followed by other well-known architectural styles typical of the early twentieth century, such as Art Deco, Nouveau and modern International styles. Due to the massive effort to rebuild after the fire, today Paterson boasts the finest collection of turn-of-the-century commercial architecture in New Jersey. Urban renewal trends of the late 1960s and the economic decline of the 1970s lead to the radical alteration and neglect of many fine historic buildings by covering them with false fronts and huge signs. To mitigate and reverse this trend, historic preservation efforts began when the DCHC was entered on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 2004, followed by listing as a City of Paterson Municipal Historic District in 2006.
The recent establishment of the Great Falls National Park in 2011 lead to a renewed interest in the potential of the DCHD buildings to contribute to Paterson's future economy based in heritage tourism. A project is currently underway to establish and publish design guidelines for use by owners, tenants, and the Paterson Historic Preservation commission in their regular review of permit applications for changes to the buildings with the DCHD. All alterations to exteriors are subject to review by the guidelines, including storefronts, signage, upper story and façade rehabilitation, window installations and so on. While more basic guidelines are in effect now, full implementation of the guidelines produced from this project is projected for spring 2014.
Following the destruction of Paterson's downtown by a massive fire in 1902, many magnificent Beaux Arts buildings were erected between 1903 - 1910. These were followed by other well-known architectural styles typical of the early twentieth century, such as Art Deco, Nouveau and modern International styles. Due to the massive effort to rebuild after the fire, today Paterson boasts the finest collection of turn-of-the-century commercial architecture in New Jersey. Urban renewal trends of the late 1960s and the economic decline of the 1970s lead to the radical alteration and neglect of many fine historic buildings by covering them with false fronts and huge signs. To mitigate and reverse this trend, historic preservation efforts began when the DCHC was entered on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 2004, followed by listing as a City of Paterson Municipal Historic District in 2006.
The recent establishment of the Great Falls National Park in 2011 lead to a renewed interest in the potential of the DCHD buildings to contribute to Paterson's future economy based in heritage tourism. A project is currently underway to establish and publish design guidelines for use by owners, tenants, and the Paterson Historic Preservation commission in their regular review of permit applications for changes to the buildings with the DCHD. All alterations to exteriors are subject to review by the guidelines, including storefronts, signage, upper story and façade rehabilitation, window installations and so on. While more basic guidelines are in effect now, full implementation of the guidelines produced from this project is projected for spring 2014.