Paramus Makes Preserving History Its Future

The newly formed Historic Commission is just a few months old and has already been hard at work laying a strong foundation towards preserving treasured sites in town for years and years to come.

Putting historic preservation as its focus, the borough established the Historic Commission at the start of this year which sets out to identify and preserve historic sites and will also work to highlight the borough's history.

The commission is currently working to formalize a master list of all of Paramus' historic sites. Commission Chairman Matt Corso says they are currently working to synchronize the borough's list with the Bergen County historic sites list. The county has identified about 50 or 60 sites in the borough that have historic interest. The borough's list is currently at around 20 and the commission is working to formalize the other 30 or so sites on to the master list, explained Corso.

"It's a really big deal as this is essentially almost tripling the historic list," Corso said about the help from the county's list.

"This more comprehensive list will enable us to keep a closer eye on more historic properties in town," he said.

This list will be adopted into the borough's master plan and will be referred to when a developer or homeowner comes forward with plans for one of these historic sites. Previously there was no due process for historic sites which has led to the borough's loss of some of its most historic treasures such as the Zabriskie House which was torn down last summer to make way for luxury condos.

The Historic Commission has the ability to review plans and recommendations to the Planning Board, said Corso.

A celebration of historic sites will soon become a part of Borough Hall.

Once the renovations to the council chambers are complete the Commission will display a number of black and white photos of some of the most interesting and unique historic sites in town, said Corso.

Corso's interest in Paramus was first born out of a photojournalism independent study he did on borough history back in high school. His interest continued and he later became a member of the Bergen County Historical Society. Later he got involved with trying to save the Zabriskie House.

One of the biggest concerns of the Historic Commission is trying to save sites that may already be on their way to demolition, said Corso.

One example is an old laundry and heating plant building behind the Mt. Saint Andrews Villa on Midland Avenue. Its construction dates back to 1913 but was halted by World War I and was completed 10 years later.

Corso said the three-story red brick building resembles the old factory type buildings of Paterson and Clifton.

"It's very unique to our borough and at this point it’s slated for demolition," he explained. "We are doing a last ditch effort to facilitate something between town and church to save the building." Corso says there would be many obstacles to overcome but perhaps it could be done. 

Corso pointed out some other sites he hopes to see preserved such as the mini-Tudor style model T era gas station building near Chakra Restaurant on Route 4.

He points out there is a lot of diversity in the historic sites of Paramus which has historic buildings from the Tudor Era, the 1800s Victorian era and old factory buildings from the early 1900s. There are also sandstone houses and old farm houses from the 1800s and eary 1900s, said Corso.

"Compared to other towns we have a relatively small list of historic sites remaining and that is why it's particularly important to preserve them while they are still here," he said.

"The Historical Commission is doing an amazing job," said Councilwoman Donna Warburton who serves as the borough commissioner to the group. "Each month more and more people come to the meeting to get involved because they love history."

She has even taken on a historic project of her own - researching the old Alexander's mural in the hopes of one day returning it to Paramus. The mural, which once was displayed on the front of Alexander's department store on Route 4, is currently stored at the Carlstadt DPW yard.

A lot of factors would be involved in making it happen and Warburton is currently in the very early stages of exploring the possibilities.

Warburton foresees many good things to come of the Commission's work in the future. She gave credit to all the members who put in a lot of hard work and volunteer their time.

"I'm so impressed with all the people who just do this because they have a passion for it," said Warburton of the Historic Commision.