The Boonton Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

along Main, Church, Birch, Cornelia, and Cedar Streets in the town of Boonton in

Morris County, New Jersey Morris County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county's population was enumerated at 509,285,

. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 29, 1980, for its significance in architecture. The district has 22

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, including the

Boonton Public Library The Boonton Public Library, also known as the Holmes Library, is located at 619 Main Street in the town of Boonton in Morris County, New Jersey. Built , the Greek Revival building was purchased by James Holmes in 1856 and became the public librar ...

, which was previously listed individually on the NRHP. With

History and description

The development of Boonton began with the construction of the Morris Canal along the

Rockaway River The Rockaway River is a tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 35 mi (56 km) long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The upper course of the river flows through a wooded mountainous valley, whereas the lower course flo ...

from 1829 to 1830. The

New Jersey Iron Company New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

was organized and bought of land here to construct an ironworks and company town. The district encompasses a residential section of the town and includes buildings that show the architectural changes from 1830 to 1890. In 1833, three houses had been built on Church Street, one of the first streets running uphill from Main Street. The public library was built and features

Greek Revival architecture The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

. The Garret Rickards House, at 211 Cornelia Street, is one of two octagon houses in the district. It was built based on the designs by Orson Squire Fowler and shows Italianate style. The First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Church and Birch Streets was built 1859–1860 and features Greek Revival and

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

styles. St. John's Episcopal Church on Cornelia Street was designed by architect Richard Upjohn. It was built in 1863 with

Carpenter Gothic style Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures ...

. The other octagon house, the Nathaniel Myers House, at 224 Cornelia Street, also built c.1854, was acquired by St. John's Episcopal to serve as a

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

. File:Boonton Public Library, NJ.jpg,

File:First Presbyterian Church, Boonton, NJ.jpg, First Presbyterian Church

References

External links

* * * {{NRHP in Morris County, New Jersey Boonton, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Morris County, New Jersey Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places Greek Revival architecture in New Jersey Gothic Revival architecture in New Jersey Italianate architecture in New Jersey

History and description

See also

References

External links