Restoration of 120-year-old Passaic County Court House approved

After marking its 120th birthday, one of Passaic County's most emblematic buildings is set for a face-lift.

County officials have adopted an $11.5 million bond ordinance to fund the restoration of the Passaic County Court House exterior. The project, due to be partially repaid through a $2.25 million grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust, involves a significant overhaul of the Colt's Hill landmark's Classical Revival masonry and metalwork, said Kelly Ruffel, the county's director of cultural and historical affairs.

Speaking at a Board of County Commissioners meeting early in February, Ruffel said the proposed project would also include cleaning the exterior, repairing the copper dome and statuary and restoring the original Clark Street portico and entrance. It is not expected to disrupt court operations, officials said.

Formally dedicated during an invitation-only event at 2 p.m. on Jan. 4, 1904, the Passaic County Court House was the result of two years of planning and more than half a decade of stop-start construction.

Its original carpenter, Paterson builder William H. H. Van Houten, went bankrupt trying to build the design of Woodcliff Lake architect Samuel Burrage Reed. Trained as a carpenter, Reed mostly designed mansions and churches. The courthouse was an odd job for Reed, and it was a kind he seldom got.

In all, county officials received 42 sets of drawings for the project, said a January 1904 account from George Wurts, a former secretary of state and editor of Paterson Press. A dozen were selected for review by the courthouse commission. Reed's was not among them. Thankfully for Reed, the commissioners, Wurtz among them, were dissatisfied with what they had been presented.

"After some demur, the balance of the plans were handed over to the commission, and one was found which in its judgment in its architectural effect was most satisfactory," Wurtz said.

Despite Reed's ornate design, Van Houten bid $295,000 for the construction contract, the Passaic Daily News reported. County officials had budgeted more than $350,000 in April  1896. The total cost when it opened in January of 1904 topped $478,000, the newspaper said.

Van Houten had, by many accounts, been stymied by stone. Starting with a strike at the Avondale, Pennsylvania, quarry where he was sourcing white marble for the courthouse, a series of complications hindered Van Houten's ability to get materials. One blow came in 1900 when quarry officials refused to honor their unprofitable contract with Van Houten and cut off his supply of stone, said a report in the Passaic Daily News.

More: Passaic County gives go-ahead to demolish jail in Paterson, fund redevelopment project

County officials were forced to step in to secure the stone, but they were also cut off after refusing to pay for uncarved stone capitals. Soon after, in June 1902, Van Houten declared bankruptcy. The remaining work was subcontracted to dozens of contractors and tradesmen.

The Passaic County Court House opened with an invitation-only event for 400. Hundreds more were turned away, newspaper accounts said.

The exterior renovations of the courthouse planned by county officials come in response to deficiencies identified in a 2020 report funded through a $50,000 New Jersey Historic Trust grant in 2019, officials said. The newer $2.25 million grant is the second-largest multi-phase grant given to the county by the trust. The other was also for $2.25 million. It was allocated in 2019 for Lambert Castle, records show.

The county is also moving forward with exterior renovations to the neighboring Passaic County Court House Annex. The former Paterson Post Office is nearing 125 years old, and plans are underway for a project to replace ironwork, restore the clock and upgrade windows, among other renovations, county officials said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Restoration of Passaic County NJ Court House approved