TOTOWA’S OLDEST HOUSE STILL STANDING TALL

By Paul Mencher

The Van Houten House, previously known as the Hollis House and the Van Allen House, is the oldest building in the Borough of Totowa. Built before the Revolutionary War, this home hasbeen in private hands for nearly three centuries, but now, this historic home is receiving a new life.

Records indicate that the Van Houten House was built by Robert Van Houten circa 1709. The Van Houten family established themselves throughout Totowa and were ardent advocates of the American Revolution.

During the Revolutionary War, when George Washington was headquartered just over the hill at the home of Theunis Dey (known today as the Dey Mansion), it is believed that General Henry Knox, artillery officer in Washington’s army, was based at the Van Houten’s home.

The Van Houten family owned the house until 1818, when it was sold to John Van Allen. The building was then passed down from generation to generation in the Van Allen family. In the 1930’s, the house was included in the Historic American Buildings Survey conducted by the Library of Congress. At that time, it was owned by John Garretson, a descendant of John Van Allen.

Over the years, a cobblestone driveway was built in front of the home, using stones from the streets of Paterson, and the brick walkway in front of the house is made up of bricks from the former Paterson General Hospital.

The house remained privately owned until late 2018, when it was purchased by the Borough of Totowa, whose goal was to preserve the local landmark. It currently serves as the Borough’s Recreation Department. “The history of this house is extraordinary,” said Totowa’s Recreation Director Mark Monteyne, whose office is inside the building.

“Since the Van Houten House is the oldest building in Totowa, we were compelled to preserve an important part of our history,” said Totowa Mayor John Coiro. “These vestiges of the past are not only historically significant, but they also hold the key to adaptive reuse, while also telling our story.”

“We just knew that there had to be a rich history associated with this home,” said Totowa Councilwoman Debbie Andriani. “We are grateful to the County of Passaic for helping us to uncover this hidden treasure.”

The Passaic County Department of Cultural & Historic Affairs researched the home’s history and has partnered with Totowa on planning out the site’s preservation efforts. The County of Passaic provided a grant from the Passaic County Historic Trust grant program in 2021 to complete a Conditions Assessment Report and renderings for the home. The Borough of Totowa will continue to use the home as offices for the Recreation Department.

“We lovingly call the home ‘HQ,’” Monteyne said. “The mission is ongoing to beautify our Recreation HQ. We are applying for grant opportunities and hoping the home continues to shine and stand tall in the future. We are grateful to partner with the County’s Department of Cultural & Historic Affairs on finding options toward maintaining Totowa’s history.”