Danforth Memorial Library Preservation Plan

From the executive summary: "The subject of this preservation plan is the Danforth Memorial Library at 250 Broadway, Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey. Completed in 1905, Paterson's Danforth Memorial Library was designed by prominent architect Henry Bacon, who also designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Significant for its Classic Revival architecture and its contributions to the educational and social life of the City and region, it was placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1984. The library system is significant for its long history, Paterson being the first city in New Jersey to have a free public library. Located on a prominent corner with a raised entrance, limestone retaining walls and dominated by the four two-story 'in-antis' Ionic columns on the north facade, the Danforth Memorial is a significant landmark in the city. The two-story, rectangular building has a seven-bay facade and is five bays deep. The recessed central bay behind the impressive Ionic columns is five bays with a central entrance. To the east and west, larger, single bay wings extend to the edges of the building. The central columns support a frieze etched with the building's name and construction date. This is topping by a stone parapet adorned with carved stone wreaths. From the center, the frieze continues around the building, etched with the names of famous literary figures including Dante, Dickens and Emerson. The center section of the facade has one-over-one hung windows; the rest of the building's windows are casements, topped by transoms on the first floor. At the rear, a five-story, four bay deep wing is the original stack tower. Several additions were added to the rear in the 1960s. As described by the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, the goal of a preservation plan is to '...assess and guide the effects of a proposed treatment or construction-related capital project on the existing fabric of a property.' This report will document the existing conditions at the Danforth Memorial Library and will provide prioritized recommendations to guide future capital investments in the property. While individual projects have been undertaken, no comprehensive project have been completed on the building in over fifty years. This report will inform and guide the necessary capital projects." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, Department of Environmental Protection, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P17AF00054).

Danforth Memorial Library Preservation Plan

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