We are putting together a page of general interest photos of our beloved town of Passaic. We invite you to share any such photo graphic memories that you might have.

Please e-mail them to info@wonderful-passaic.com

Please include the following:

• The content of the photo (we may recognize it right off)
• The approximate year it was taken
• You may also include a brief 25-50 word caption to be included with the photo

We look forward to seeing the many photos you have to share.

This is the last train to leave Passaic in April of 1963. If you look carefully near the center you can see a picture of a crane ready to begin the removal of the tracks as soon as the train leaves. (Photo courtesy of Jack Mahon)

This is the "bustling Metropolis" of Passaic circa 1930. (Photo courtesy of Jack Mahon)

May 1956 update of the 1930s winter scene shown in the previous photo.
(Photo courtesy of Jack Mahon)

The "Hack Stand" at the Erie Railroad Station in downtown Passaic in 1905. (The word "Hack" was the shortened word for Hackney. So, a Hack was a sorry drudge of a horse that you could hire.) (Photo and definition of Hack provided by Jack Mahon)

Passaic's distinctive landmark, the People's Bank Building, at 663 Main Avenue opened in 1931. Through the 1930s - 1950, many Passaicites believed that the unique turret structure on its top was designed for dirigible landings. In fact, the turret hides the internal smokestack that was used when the building was heated by coal furnaces in its basement. (Photo from Sydney Lockwood's collection. Photographer is H. Allan Van Horn in the year 2000.)

WHAT'S SHORT NOW: Lines of women, typical of those in war-shortage days, were in evidence all-day yesterday at the formal inspection of The Strand Shop's new home at 196 Jefferson Street, just east of Main Avenue. It is estimated that more than 10,000 persons attended the opening. (As published in the Herald News - Friday, October 17, 1947)

"Paulison Castle" (front view) - Charles McKnight K. Paulison (1824-81) was one of the dominant founding fathers of the modern city of Passaic (incorporated in 1873). He was a real estate developer, entrepreneur and visionary and is responsible for the appearance of much of the residential area of the 3rd Ward. Passaic's Paulison Avenue is named for him. (Many adventurous grade school students would ride their bicycles down the steep front steps. And some of them would proudly display their bent front wheel yoke as evidence of their "bravery.")

Another view of "Paulison Castle" - Unfortunately, Mr. Paulison went bankrupt in the Financial Panic of 1873 and never saw his dream home finished. Three prominent business leaders bought the unfinished mansion for $30,000 in the 1870s and sold it to the City of Passaic for the same amount in 1891. The old mansion was finally finished and opened up as the new City Hall and Main Public Library in April 1892. It served as the main library until 1941 when the Forstmann Library opened and it then served as City Hall until the end of 1954 (demolished in December 1954). (Both Paulison Castle photos and the next page photo courtesy of Mark S. Auerbach, PHS '65, Passaic City Historian.)

New City Hall, then the Board of Education Building - Paulison Castle was demolished to provide the site for the new (current) Passaic High School. The old and beloved City Hall was replaced with a new City Hall, just around the corner (today's Board of Education offices) on Passaic Avenue.

During World War II, patriotic banners were displayed all over Passaic. This particular banner was on Myrtle Avenue in Second Ward (1942).

A better view of the banner. "War Bond rallies" were often held under the banner where famous celebrations would motivate the crowds to buy bonds - "Invest $18.75 and get back $25.00 in ten years." (Photos courtesy of Larry Cirignano)

Basketball was king in Second Ward. This is the 1937-1938 Memorial #11 School Lightweight Team. In the back row (L to R) are Sam Levine (Coach), W. DeLew, L. Shapiro, J. Karams, W. Craft and I. Locker. In the front row (L to R) are R. Cusila, S. Breslow, Bob Topchik, N. Gangi, F. Abbate and C. Smith. (Photo courtesy of Larry Cirignano)

Second Ward Park facing #11 School in 2002. The park used to have large shade trees and numerous benches along the path to the school. On the left side of the path were the ball fields and the right side had beautiful flower beds and winding paths among the large trees. (Photo by Myrna Ramos Alvarez)

Downtown Passaic (1938) looking towards the Erie Railroad Station. Notice the steam locomotive in the station. (Photo courtesy of Mark S. Auerbach, Passaic City Historian.)

Passaic's Erie Railroad Station (1950s). By this date, diesel locomotives had replaced steam engines. The Montauk Theater and Ritz Hotel and Ballroom are on the left, across Main Avenue from the station. The photographer was Robert E. Brown who worked for the railroad at its Croxton Yards in Jersey City. After he retired, he became a professional photographer in Passaic. (Photo provided by his son, Robert E. Brown, Jr.)

The "Flatiron Building" and the "People's Bank Building" (663 Main Avenue). (Photo courtesy of Robert Brown. His father, Robert E. Brown, was the photographer.)

The Central Theater (the large building on the left) was the last and most luxurious theater built in Passaic. It was patterned on New York's Radio City Music Hall and featured live stage shows, with famous headliners, as well as first run movies. For example, it was where Glenn Miller and his band performed for the last time before Miller entered the Army near the start of World War II. (Photo by Robert Brown, Sr., courtesy of Robert E. Brown, Jr.)

The Central Theater held an Elizabeth Taylor look-alike contest when the movie "Cleopatra" opened in 1963. This most luxurious theater was subsequently torn down. The site is now a McDonalds. (Photo by Robert Brown, Sr., courtesy of Robert E. Brown, Jr.)

The Montauk Theater on Main Avenue, although older than the Central, was a beautiful theater in the 1940s. It is where many classic movies - e.g., "Gone With the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz," "Casablanca" - were first shown in Passaic. It is still in business today.

The Montauk Theater site was once a large brewery. During Prohibition the brewery produced legal "near beer" (less than 3.2% alcohol). (Photo by Robert Brown, Sr., courtesy of Robert E. Brown, Jr.)

Parading up Paulison Avenue to the new high school. (As published in the Herald News - May 20, 1957)

Ceremony prior to opening the new high school. (As published in the Herald News - May 20, 1957)

Lincoln Middle School #4 was formerly Passaic High School. (Photo by Myrna Ramos Alvarez in July 1999)

The "new" Passaic High School. (Photo by Myrna Ramos Alvarez in 1999.)

The front of Passaic's Julius Forstmann Library. (Photo by Myrna Ramos Alvarez, 2002)

The Forstmann Library looking toward Passaic Avenue. (Photo by Myrna Ramos Alvarez, 2002)

The Erie Railroad's "Main Line" train leaving the Jersey City yard on its way to Passaic in the early 1940s. Intermediate stops included Rutherford, Carlton Hills and Passaic Park (near the school Stadium). If you wanted to board the train in Passaic and go to Paterson, the fare was five cents. (Photo by Robert E. Brown, Sr.)

Photo at intersection of Prospect Street and Main Avenue during the 1950s. The "Flatiron Building" is directly in front of the People's Bank Building (663 Main Avenue). The tower on the right is the old firehouse which was later demolished when a new one was built on Paulison Avenue on the site that used to be the vocational school. (Photo by Robert E. Brown, Sr.)

A typical Passaic walk-up apartment house. This is the building where photographer and Erie Railroad worker Robert D. Brown, Sr., lived, 58 Howe, "The Annette." Notice the beautiful streamlined "step-down" 1949 or 1950 Hudson car. The Passaic Police Department used these distinctive looking cars for undercover work. Go Figure.

Ginsburg's Children's Clothing Store - Prior to 1950s.

Ginsburg's was modernized in the 1950s.

Ben Krones (Passaic Premier Men's Store) - Prior to 1950s.

Ben Krones was modernized in the 1950s.

Passaic has many historic houses of worship. Here are just three examples (a beautiful and informative book describing Passaic's churches is "Passaic: The Glory in the Glass" by Sydney Lockwood).

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (10 St. Frances Way) - on August 4, 1923, the cornerstone of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was laid. Monsignor Thomas Kernan of St. Nicholas Church officiated at the ceremonies that were attended by more than 1,500 people. Although started as a spiritual home for the city's Italian Americans, the parish now is multiethnic. (Photos by Myrna Ramos Alvarez)

St. John's Episcopal Church (215 Lafayette Avenue). The church is on the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Passaic Avenue - an interesting variation on neo Gothic stained glass windows style is found in this church. This work was done by Payne/Spear, a local Paterson glass studio.

St. Nicholas R.C. Church (123 Jefferson Street). The church itself is located on Washington Place - This "mother church" of Passaic, which many old timers remember as an Anglo-Irish parish, is now a multiethnic, largely Hispanic congregation. The present Gothic structure of St. Nicholas was erected in 1885, but it has roots that go back to colonial times. The Gothic interior was brilliantly illuminated when the bold, deeply colored Munich glass of the Franz Meyer Studios was installed. Lockwood's book contains photos of those windows in color.

The high school's band, majorettes and twirlers were always a major source of pride in Passaic. (Robert E. Brown's photos in the 1950s at Passaic School Stadium)

The old Passaic High School had a low-ceiling "band-box gym." (Photo by Robert E. Brown in the 1950s)

The Erie Railroad waiting room. Notice the Ritz Hotel and Restaurant and the Montauk Theater signs across Main Avenue. (Robert E. Brown photo)

The "Projects" apartment houses on Aspen Street is where Myrna Ramos Alvarez lived during her childhood. Myrna took this photo to be included in her lifetime scrapbook in 1999.

Marla's old house at 377 Monroe Street. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Corner of Monroe and Grove. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz

Corner of Monroe and Lucille Place. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Jack Schatzman's Hardware Store. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Temple on Tulip Street. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Tulip Street Temple. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Original Joes. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Nice view of #11 School. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

The Chicken Market. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Harrison Street - What is left of the 100 steps. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Montauk Theater. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

YMCA. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Flat Iron Building on Main Avenue. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Third Ward Park - View of Hughes Lake. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

The other side of Hughes Lake. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Guy fishing in Hughes Lake. Looks like he hooked a big one. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

The nice man unhooked the fish and threw him back. He was fine as he swam away. Photo submitted by Marla Abramowitz.

Today downtown Passiac has a large parking lot between Main Avenue and Lexington Avenue. Before the mid-1960s, the Erie Railroad train would come around the sharply bank turn near the YMCA, and then stop at the train station across from the Montauk Theater. In the 1950s, automatic pedestrian and car gates were installed on all the crossing streets (e.g., Monroe Street, Passaic Street). Before the installation of automatic gates, there were manual gates at all the cross streets. The gate keepers lived in little shacks until a bell would ring. They would rush out and turn a large hand crank to lower the gates. This photo shows the gatekeeper shack at State Street in late 1948. Notice the street sweeper on the right side of the picture. (Picture courtesy of Jeff Sumberg)

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Link to 9 minute video of Passaic High School Marching Band 2005 at Meadowlands Stadium. This is professional video, and the band is absolutely fabulous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3NMAw-2Qwo&feature=related

Roy Bercaw