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Danforth Memorial Library

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Coordinates: 40°55′5″N 74°9′52″W / 40.91806°N 74.16444°W / 40.91806; -74.16444
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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Kaitlynlopez (talk | contribs) at 16:22, 14 March 2024 (Added historical information pertaining to the library's construction, laying of the cornerstone ceremony, Mrs. Ryle, Charles Danforth, dedication ceremony, official opening, Spanish flu closure, artwork, 1967 remodeling, Hurricane Irene destroying the first ward branch, updated plans to renovate first ward branch, and current special collections.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Danforth Memorial Library
Danforth Memorial Library is located in Passaic County, New Jersey
Danforth Memorial Library
Danforth Memorial Library is located in New Jersey
Danforth Memorial Library
Danforth Memorial Library is located in the United States
Danforth Memorial Library
Location250 Broadway, Paterson, New Jersey
Coordinates40°55′5″N 74°9′52″W / 40.91806°N 74.16444°W / 40.91806; -74.16444
Area1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built1905 (1905)
ArchitectHenry Bacon
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No.84002782[1]
NJRHP No.2371[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 1, 1984
Designated NJRHPJanuary 4, 1983

Danforth Memorial Library, also known as the Paterson Free Public Library, is located at 250 Broadway in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The library was built in 1905 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 1, 1984, for its significance in architecture, education, and social history.[1]

The Library sits on a 1.5 acre property[3] and houses the city's art collection, mostly of painting 19th century paintings donated to the city.[4][5]

History

The Paterson Free Public Library was established in 1885. Although Paterson had many libraries and reading rooms across the city as early as 1828, most were accessible only to those who paid subscription fees.[6] It wasn’t until 1884, when New Jersey Assemblyman William Prall introduced the New Jersey General Library Act to the State Legislature and called for the establishment of free public libraries across the state.[7] On April 13, 1885, residents of Paterson voted in favor of the Act.[8]

It is the oldest public library in New Jersey, and citizens of Paterson created it. Danforth Memorial Library is the current location of the main library branch, and is located at 250 Broadway after the Great Fire of 1902 destroyed the first two libraries. Some 40,000 books in the original Danforth Library were destroyed in the fire, the only books that survived were some on loan by patrons in their homes.[9] The devastating fire left some 500 families homeless and destroyed several city buildings including City Hall, police station, high-school, two banks, five churches, a theatre, among others.[10] In 1888,[11] Mary Elizabeth Danforth Ryle funded the historical building in memory of her father, Charles Danforth, a leading industrialist in Paterson and the inventor of the frame used in Cotton-spinning machinery. Mrs. Ryle gifted the funds under two conditions: that the building be used solely for the city’s Free Public Library and to bear the name “Danforth.”[12] Unfortunately, Mrs. Ryle passed away in 1904, before being able to see the library construction completed in memory of her father.[13]

When the cornerstone of the library was laid in October of 1903, Patersonian and Vice Chancellor Eugene Stevens, of the New Jersey Chancery Court said at the ceremony, “…This building will be the home of the Free Public Library of Paterson. It will be an architectural ornament to our city. It has been skillfully designed to meet all the requirements of the most efficient modern library work.”[1] During the laying of the cornerstone ceremony, several items were deposited in the corner stone, including; a photograph of Mrs. Mary E. Ryle, an engraved portrait of the late Charles Danforth, a scrap-book with outlines of the history of both the old and new Danforth Libraries, the Great Fire of 1902 and the Great Floods of 1902 and 1903, silver coins on 1902-1903, and others.[12]

A formal dedication ceremony was held on April 29, 1905 where native-Patersonian and former Governor of New Jersey / former member of President William McKinley’s cabinet, John W. Griggs remarked, “Out of the ashes of the old has risen the new nobler structure, an ornament as well as a utility to our city, a building to rejoice over, to behold with admiration and to regard with civic pride.”[1]

The Danforth Memorial Library officially opened to the public on May 1, 1905 to a crowd of thousands who jumped on the first opportunity to visit the building. At the time, the total cost of the building construction along with its furnishings was $220,000 (equal to about $7.7 million dollars in 2024).[14]

The Library (and its branches) were closed from October 7 – 25, 1918 by order of the Board of Health because of the Spanish Flu epidemic.[13]

In 1925, the wife of Vice-President Garrett A. Hobart, gifted a valuable collection of paintings as a memorial to her late-husband to be hung as a permanent exhibit within the library.[13] Hobart donated 26 works of art, including the 1872 painting The Bath by American artist, and cofounder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Eastman Johnson.[15]

Remodeling was done to the library in 1967, where a staircase was removed from the stack area, a small additional was made to the rear of the building, two of the three skylights were removed, and overhead lighting and air-conditioning were installed along with dropped ceilings on the two floors.[1]

By 1995, the library system was reduced from seven locations to three, prior to this, there was a branch in each of the city’s wards.[16] By 1995, there were three (3) additional library branches in the Paterson Public Library system. In 2011, Hurricane Irene destroyed the First Ward (also known as Northside) Branch. Since then, a branch service has been running out of the Christopher Hope Center on Temple Street in its location.[16] In November, 2022, the city announced it was selling the North Main Street library location to a Paterson-based nonprofit group that planned to convert the building into a resource center that would provide mental health counseling, job training and reentry services.[17]

These branches are the Totowa Branch, Southside Branch, and Northside Branch. Danforth Memorial Library opened the Community Learning Center in 1986, and it has increased its African American and Spanish language collection. Thanks to the Philippine ambassador to the United States, a Filipino collection has been established in this branch. In 2002, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated 35 computers.[18] The library’s Southside location now offers an Arabic/Islamic collection thanks to a New Jersey State Library special collections grant.[16] The Danforth Memorial Library is a member of the PALS Plus consortium.[19]

Architecture

The Danforth Memorial Library architecture is described as Classical Revival. It is a two-story building with four monumental columns made with gray limestone material on a granite foundation.[1] It was designed by Henry Bacon, who also designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.[18] The property owner is the Board of Library Trustees of the City of Paterson.[1] In 2020, the Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, granted $734,812 to rehabilitate the historic landmark; this fund came from the Library Construction Bond Act. According to the library administration, the rehabilitation project will cost $1,469,624; the current mayor, André Sayegh, and his administration need to cover the matching amount. The rehabilitation project consists of renovating the Children's Department and the Community Literacy Center, modifying the elevator to American with Disabilities standards, replacing the library's roof, and repairing the retaining wall.[20]

Administration

As of March 2022, the Paterson Free Public Library director is Corey Fleming.[18]

Board of Library Trustees of the City of Paterson.

As of March 2022:

  • Herman Irving, Alt to Superintendent
  • Debra Bracy, Mayor’s Alternate
  • Errol Kerr
  • Tracy Pearson
  • Irene Sterling, Secretary/Treasurer
  • Derya Taskin, Vice-president
  • Charisse Taylor
  • Dennis Vroegindewey
  • André Sayegh, Mayor
  • Eileen Shafer, School Superintendent[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Kehoe, Helen A. (March 11, 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Danforth Memorial Library". National Park Service. With accompanying 14 photos
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Passaic County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. March 30, 2023. p. 6.
  3. ^ Dr. Helen A. Kehoe, “Danforth Memorial Library,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1984). https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/0f592bbf-0354-4642-a5c1-aaf2de98a882
  4. ^ Malinconico, Joe (February 26, 2014). "Paterson looking to promote its $1.6M art collection". northjersey.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  5. ^ Page, Jeffrey (March 19, 2015). "The Name-Dropper: Charles Danforth Memorial Library in Paterson". northjersey.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017.
  6. ^ Janes, Irene. Early History of Libraries in Paterson. United States, n.p, 1949.
  7. ^ Nelson, William; Shriner, Charles Anthony (1920). History of Paterson and Its Environs (the Silk City): Historical- Genealogical - Biographical. Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
  8. ^ “Danforth Memorial Library Ceremoniously Opened Today,” Paterson Daily Press: April 14, 1885. Page 2, column 2.
  9. ^ The Paterson Free Public Library. Paterson Free Public Library Centennial Celebration, 1985. Pamphlet.
  10. ^ Architects' and Builders' Magazine. W.T. Comstock. 1906.
  11. ^ Dr. Helen A. Kehoe, “Danforth Memorial Library,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1984). https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/0f592bbf-0354-4642-a5c1-aaf2de98a882
  12. ^ a b Paterson, N. J. Free Public Library. Laying of the Corner Stone of the Danforth Library Building, Paterson, N.J. n.p, 1903.
  13. ^ a b c The Free Public Library of the City of Paterson, Fiftieth Annual Report of the Free Public Library of the City of Paterson, N.J., 1935.
  14. ^ “With Prayer and Oratory: Danforth Memorial Library Building Was Formally Opened to Citizens,” Paterson Morning Call, May 1, 1905, Page 2, Col 5+.
  15. ^ Read, Philip M. (2003). Paterson. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-1230-3.
  16. ^ a b c "Library History". patersonpl.org. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  17. ^ Malinconico, Joe. "Here's how Paterson wants to convert a vacant library into a 'beacon of hope'". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  18. ^ a b c d "Paterson Public Library − Paterson Public Library". Paterson Public Library. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  19. ^ "Member Libraries | PALS Plus NJ". PALS Plus. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  20. ^ Rahman, Jayed (November 24, 2020). "Paterson gets almost $735,000 to repair Danforth Memorial Library". Paterson Times. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023.
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