THE OPPORTUNITY

The historic industrial area surrounding Paterson’s Great Falls is a National Historic Landmark and a Historic District listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Encompassing a broader zone, the city-designated Paterson Great Falls Historic District is a locally regulated historic district of the city’s historic factory complexes and industrial facilities. Any renovation, rehabilitation, or new construction projects within the district are reviewed by the City of Paterson Historic Preservation Commission. In order to facilitate the design review process, the City of Paterson sought to update the district’s outdated design guidelines.

THE CHALLENGE

The previous district design guidelines, written in the mid-1990s, included outdated preservation and construction practices, and, due to the amount of information and material, were inaccessible to the general public. The historic industrial character of the district requires unique considerations for compatible new and infill construction projects. Although primarily industrial, the Great Falls Historic District also includes commercial and residential properties, necessitating a broad range of recommended design approaches at drastically different scales.

THE PS&S SOLUTION

Working closely together, PS&S architectural historians, preservation specialists, and architects streamlined the Great Falls Historic District Design Guidelines into concise, accessible documents with clear language and informative illustrations. Visually consistent with the city’s design guidelines for the adjacent downtown commercial district, the new design guidelines consolidate the necessary recommendations into a direct and legible format, helping projects to maintain and enhance the historic character of this significant district.