Belle Vista | |
![]() Lambert Castle in 2014 | |
Location | Valley Road in Garret Mountain Reservation, Paterson, New Jersey |
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Coordinates | 40°54′0″N74°10′22″W / 40.90000°N 74.17278°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1892 |
NRHP reference No. | 76001180 [1] |
NJRHP No. | 2385 [2] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | June 3, 1976 |
Designated NJRHP | November 25, 1975 |
Lambert Castle, originally called Belle Vista, is located within the Garret Mountain Reservation in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey. The building was built in 1892 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1976, for its significance in art, architecture, and industry. [3]
Lambert Castle was built in 1892 as the home of Catholina Lambert, the owner of a prominent silk mill in the City of Paterson. Constructed in the Medieval Revival architectural style, Mr. Lambert's dream was to build a home reminiscent of the castles in Great Britain that he remembered from his boyhood years. President William McKinley and Vice President Garret Hobart visited the castle in 1898. In June 1910, filmmaker D. W. Griffith shot The Call To Arms on the grounds. The film was released in July 1910. The cast included Mary Pickford (in her only male role) and Henry B. Walthall. Film Preservation Society, Inc. is currently restoring the film as part of The Biograph Project. [4]
After Lambert's death in 1923, his family sold the building to the City of Paterson, which in turn sold it to Passaic County a few years later. Passaic County used the building for administrative offices, and in 1936, provided one room to the fledgling Passaic County Historical Society to serve as its historical museum. As time went by the museum grew, room by room, until the entire first floor became the historical museum.
In the late 1990s, the Castle underwent a multimillion-dollar restoration and all four floors of the building were developed into a museum and library. [5]
Construction began on the castle in 1891. The castle was built on the side of the First Watchung Mountain out of sandstone and granite. The sandstone was quarried from the surrounding hills. The initial construction cost was estimated at a half a million dollars. [5] In 1896, an art gallery was added to the castle and a 70-foot observation tower was constructed on the crest of the cliff.
The gallery wing fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1936. The observation tower was open to the public until the late 1960s when it was closed due to disrepair. [5]
In 2014 the Garret Rock Observation tower renovations were completed and the observation tower was reopened to the public. Admission to the tower is free with panoramic views available from the top.
Passaic County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's eighth-most-populous county, with a population of 524,118, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 22,892 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 501,226, which in turn reflected an increase of 12,177 (+2.5%) from the 489,049 counted in the 2000 census. The most populous place in Passaic County is Paterson, with 159,732 residents at the 2020 Census, more than 29% of the county's population, while West Milford covered 80.32 square miles (208.0 km2), the largest total area of any municipality and more than 40% of the county's area.
Woodland Park is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 13,484, an increase of 1,665 (+14.1%) from the 2010 census count of 11,819, which in turn reflected an increase of 832 (+7.6%) from the 10,987 counted in the 2000 census.
The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet (23 m) high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. The Congress authorized its establishment in 2009.
Skylands is a 1,119-acre (4.53 km2) estate property located in Ringwood State Park in Ringwood, New Jersey, a borough in Passaic County in the state of New Jersey. The Skylands property consists of the historic Skylands Manor mansion, The Castle at Skylands Manor and the New Jersey Botanical Garden; the botanical garden is 96 acres (390,000 m2) and it is open to the public year-round. The Skylands property is within the Ramapo Mountains and it is maintained by the Skyland Association. The property is marketed with the garden as New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skylands.
Garret Mountain Reservation is a 568-acre (230 ha) park located on First Watchung Mountain in Paterson and Woodland Park in southern Passaic County, New Jersey. In 1967, it was designated a National Natural Landmark as part of the Great Falls of Paterson-Garret Mountain listing. The park extends into Clifton. Garret Mountain is Passaic County's major recreational area, providing the visitors with grass fields, several miles of walking/running trails, basketball courts, picnic areas, Barbour's Pond is state stocked with fish for anglers, as well as an Equestrian Center with horseback riding lessons.
The Gateway Region is the primary urbanized area of the northeastern section of New Jersey. It is anchored by Newark, the state's most populous city. While sometimes known as the Newark metropolitan area, it is part of the New York metropolitan area.
Downtown Paterson is the main commercial district of Paterson, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The area is the oldest part of the city, along the banks of the Passaic River and its Great Falls. It is roughly bounded by Interstate 80, Garret Mountain Reservation, Route 19, Oliver Street, and Spruce Street on the south; the Passaic River, West Broadway, Cliff Street, North 3rd Street, Haledon Avenue, and the borough of Prospect Park on the west; and the Passaic River also to the north.
The Old Great Falls Historic District is an area of Paterson, New Jersey between South Paterson and Hillcrest, Paterson. The area is a thin strip of neighborhoods and parklands around the Passaic River and Garret Mountain. This section of Paterson has two National Natural Landmarks, Garret Mountain and Great Falls on the Passaic. It is the location of the highest point in Paterson. It is home to Lambert Castle and Alexander Hamilton's Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), which used the force of Great Falls to power the mills along the Passaic in the Dublin section. The neighborhood is also home to part of Garret Mountain Reservation and Overlook Park around the Grand Street Reservoir. The neighborhood is bounded by the border with Hillcrest by the Passaic River, by the Woodland Park border, the South Paterson border along Valley Road and Route 19. It is separated from Downtown Paterson to the north by Route 19, Oliver Street and Spruce Street.
Waldwick is a commuter rail station operated by New Jersey Transit in the borough of Waldwick, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.
The Schuyler–Colfax House is located at 2343 Paterson Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne, Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The house was built in 1695 by Arent Schuyler. It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 1973, for its significance in architecture.
Paterson City Hall is located at 155 Market Street in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey. The building is located on a block in Downtown Paterson bordered by Market Street on the north, Colt Street to the east, Ellison Street to the south, and Washington Street to the west.
Public School Number Two is located in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1978.
Reinhardt Mills, later Boris Kroll Mills, is a historic silk mill complex located in Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Part of the complex has been redeveloped as the Paterson Commons apartments with future plans for additional redevelopment. The Philip's Academy Charter School opened a campus on the site in 2016. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 2003.
Ailsa Farms, also known as Haledon Hall and Hobart Manor, is a historic house located at 300 Pompton Road in the township of Wayne in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. It was purchased by the state of New Jersey in 1948 from the family of Garret Hobart, 24th vice president of the United States and is now located on the campus of William Paterson University. Ailsa Farms was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1976, for its significance in architecture, politics, and social history.
John and Anna Vreeland House, also known as the Hamilton House, is located at 971 Valley Road in the city of Clifton in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The farmhouse, built c. 1817 by Anna and John Vreeland, is one of the last symbols of Dutch settlement in the city and one of the finest examples of early 19th century stone houses in the county according to the nomination form. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 1982, for its significance in architecture. It is now operated by the city as a house museum, the Hamilton–Van Wagoner House Museum.
Rifle Camp Park is a 225-acre (0.9 km2) county park of Passaic County, New Jersey. It is located mostly within Woodland Park, but its eastern edge extends into Clifton as well. The park includes hiking trails, an observatory, nature center, fitness trail, amphitheater, a bird watching blind, and an overnight camping facility for local scout organizations.
The Passaic County Court House complex is located at the seat of Passaic County, New Jersey in Paterson.
The Straight Street Bridge is a vehicular bridge over the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The People's Bank and Trust Company Building is an Art Deco skyscraper built in 1931 and located at 663 Main Avenue in the city of Passaic in Passaic County, New Jersey. The 154-foot (47 m) tall building is the highest in the city. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 19, 2018, for its significance in architecture. Vacant since 1994, it is now owned by the Passaic Urban Enterprise Zone.
6.In the Beauty of the Lilies, page 1. John Updike, 1996.