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Unfortunately, efforts by the City of Paterson to obtain grants for the planning, design and rehabilitation of the Van Houten House beginning in 2015 were stalled when the building caught fire in 2019. Although progress was made, the need to also determine how to fund and sustain the overall rehabilitation of Westside Park was also a major concern.
Due to the fire, the expected cost of the Van Houten House rehabilitation project alone more than doubled. With the many priorities the city faced, especially with the onset and duration of the COVID period just six months after the fire, the project was put on hold. The City could not provide the required $250,000 of matching funding to unlock a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust for the same amount. Although a separate $200,000 grant from the Passaic County Open Space Trust Fund was also provided, it could not be used without the benefit of the other grant. Even if the city did move forward with the project at that time, the funding was not enough to complete the overall project especially considering the fire damage.
Beginning in 2019 the Sayegh administration coordinated with several non-profit partners to develop enough funding to complete a total rehabilitation of Westside Park. In time, a variety of funding sources totaling over $15 million contributed to the project budget [for more detailed information see https://www.newcityparks.org/federal-award-for-paterson-westside-park. Despite all of this funding however, it was decided early in the fund-raising process that the Van Houten House would not be funded for rehabilitation at the same time as the rest of the park. The existing Passaic County grant was instead transferred for use in the replacement of the footbridge crossing the Great Falls, and the New Jersey Historic Trust grant was left in limbo. Now, a second phase of construction under a separate contract is getting underway to specifically work on the historic elements of the park – but again, the project excludes any work to the Van Houten House.
The City turned to Passaic County for assistance with funding the rehabilitation of the Van Houten House. A strong opportunity for the adaptive reuse of the Van Houten House exists through the Passaic County Department of Cultural and Historic Affairs that would serve both Patersonians and regional constituents. Over the past decade, Passaic County has invested millions toward the rehabilitation of several authentic Dutch Colonial buildings lying within the county park system. These county-owned buildings and lands were brought back into public use after extensive rehabilitation projects were completed, making the sites “visitor ready.” During this period the County also entered into collaborations with Clifton and Wayne Townships where Dutch Colonial buildings and grounds were donated to the County. These are also now rehabilitated and open as cultural centers for the local and County residents [for more information visit www.seepassaiccounty.org] to enjoy. The same arrangement is now underway for the Van Houten House, which includes the donation of the building and surrounding lands to the County for rehabilitation and future staffing and management.
The Van Houten House is 285 years old and must be rehabilitated in strict compliance with historic preservation guidelines. Additionally, the surrounding land was designated as an archaeological site by the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office and will be preserved. Presently the reuse of the building is proposed to become a cultural center for Passaic County focused on the County’s African American heritage. It will provide an opportunity to give context for early settlement of Passaic County, the Revolutionary War in Passaic County, and the development of Paterson by the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures later in the 19th century. Additionally, it will also provide context for slavery in Passaic County and for the development and heritage of Paterson’s and the County’s African American community.
In January 2026, the Paterson Municipal Council supported this arrangement with passage of a resolution to urge the Sayegh administration to continue necessary steps to transfer the property. In April 2026 Mayor Sayegh requested that a $250,000 Passaic County Historic Preservation and Open Space Trust Fund grant be provided to match the existing New Jersey Historic Trust’s 2019 grant for the emergency stabilization of the building [the resolution and the letter can be downloaded from this page].
Next steps include completion of a property survey and a subdivision application to define the property for transfer to Passaic County. The subdivision will be needed for an Agreement between the City of Paterson and the County to be finalized and presented to both the Municipal Council and to the County Commissioners for ratification. The land transfer will then be formalized.
While this is underway, the emergency stabilization project will begin with the goal of completing it by the end of 2026. This project will focus on removing the burned roof and the collapsed debris on the inside of the building, relieving stresses on the structural walls, closing up the windows and openings on the building, and installing a temporary flat roof on the building to prevent further water infiltration. The building will undergo a structural review to determine stability, compromised areas, and installation of other stabilization measures as necessary to remove stresses and secure the building for future rehabilitation.
After this phase, the County and the City will work together to build up the funding needed for the complete and comprehensive rehabilitation project over the next three years.
