Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

New Jersey Historic Trust Affiliated with the Department of Community Affairs

Passaic County Court House and Annex

Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund
Preserve New Jersey History Preservation Fund
Historic Site Management Grant
Capital Level I
Capital Level II - Multi-phase
Grant Award: $18,682 (2012); $16,200 (2017); $50,000 (2019); $750,000 (2023)
Grant Recipient: Passaic County
County: Passaic
Municipality: Paterson

The Passaic County Court House was constructed between 1898 and 1903. It was designed by New York City architect Samuel Burrage Reed. The building is an excellent example of Classical Revival architecture. The Court House Annex was constructed in 1899 as the main post office for the City of Paterson and followed the design of architect Fred Wesley Wentworth. The building was designed in the Dutch Baroque Revival style. The county acquired the building in 1936 and the building was rededicated as the Passaic County Administration Building and annexed to the adjacent county courthouse. 

The Gaetano Federici Monuments are art objects on the plaza/grounds of the above designated historic site.  Gaetano Federici was born in southern Italy, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1887.  He and his mother settled in Paterson, New Jersey, with his father, Antonio Federici, who had already established himself as a mason and builder in this city. As a teen, he studied with bronze makers in Europe.  Upon his return to the city, his first major commission was a sculpture of Congressman John Stewart, which was unveiled in front of Paterson’s County Courthouse. The Paterson News put a picture of Gaetano on the first page, and from then on he was “Paterson’s darling."

The 2023 Trust grant will help fund three phases of the exterior restoration of the Passaic County Courthouse including making ADA improvements and reopening a rear entrance.

The 2019 Trust grant helped fund an exterior Conditions Assessment of the Passaic County Courthouse. The 2017 grant helped fund Passaic County’s plan to clean, restore, and seal the statues of New Jersey Congressman James Fleming Stuart and Senator William Hughes. The 2012 Trust grant helped fund the preparation of a National Register nomination for each building. 

For more information, visit: https://www.passaiccountynj.org/news_detail_T19_R48.php 


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