{"id":3603,"date":"2026-08-03T23:28:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T03:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/?page_id=3603"},"modified":"2026-08-03T23:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T03:28:28","slug":"downtown","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patersonhistory.com\/index.php\/downtown\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Downtown Paterson is the historic, commercial, and civic heart of Paterson, New Jersey. From the city’s founding in 1792 to the present day, it has served as the center of government, commerce, banking, transportation, and entertainment. Its remarkable collection of early twentieth-century architecture, combined with its industrial heritage, makes it one of New Jersey’s most significant historic downtowns.<\/p>\n

A Planned Industrial City<\/h3>\n

Downtown Paterson owes its existence to Alexander Hamilton’s vision of creating America’s first planned industrial city. In 1791, Hamilton and the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.) selected the Great Falls of the Passaic River as the ideal location to harness waterpower for manufacturing. Paterson was officially established in 1792 and named after New Jersey Governor William Paterson. While the mills developed around the raceway system near the falls, the downtown commercial district quickly emerged just to the east, centered on Main Street, Market Street, Broadway, and Van Houten Street.<\/p>\n

The Commercial Center of Northern New Jersey<\/h3>\n

By the mid-1800s, Downtown Paterson had become one of New Jersey’s busiest business districts. Banks, department stores, hotels, restaurants, theaters, and professional offices lined Main Street and Market Street. Residents from throughout Passaic, Bergen, Morris, and Sussex Counties traveled to Paterson to shop.<\/p>\n

The city’s prosperity was fueled by its nationally known industries:<\/p>\n