Danforth Memorial Library

The story

The oldest public library in New Jersey was not handed down from above — citizens of Paterson voted it into existence on April 13, 1885. Before that, libraries existed in the city as early as 1828, but most required subscription fees to enter. New Jersey Assemblyman William Prall changed that when he introduced the General Library Act, and Paterson said yes. The 1905 building at 250 Broadway now holds the city's art collection, mostly 19th-century paintings donated to Paterson, anchoring a place that was always meant to belong to everyone.