Archival collection to have a new home
By: Rachel Silverman
The Historical Society of Princeton, which has been headquartered on Nassau Street since 1967, will soon move a large part of its archival collection to the Updike Farmstead on Quaker Road.
The Regional Planning Board of Princeton held a concept review of the application Thursday night.
"The farm represents an agricultural past which is quickly disappearing in Princeton," attorney and Historical Society Board of Trustees President John Dumont explained. "We’re excited about preserving the farm and integrating it for future generations."
The property, which was purchased by the Historical Society in April 2004, boasts a 6-acre, 200-year-old farmstead. Gen. George Washington may have traversed the site as he led his troops to the Battle of Princeton. The parcel is located in state and national historic districts, as well as the Princeton Township Battlefield District.
Gail Stern, director of the Historical Society, said the site’s adaptive reuse would not ignore its storied past.
"Our programming at the farm will include this long and very rich history," she said, citing the possibility of group visits, interpretive signage and historical reenactments.
Ms. Stern said the property, which is used for small get-togethers and subject to minimal traffic, would continue in that vein. The only major construction will be a 4,500-square-foot building, meant to house historic objects, Ms. Stern said.
The acquisition also gives the Historical Society a township address as a counterpoint to its borough-based Bainbridge House.
"The Bainbridge House remains the main focus of our education and programming," Ms. Stern said. She noted that the residence would expand to include a second-floor museum, housing both temporary and permanent collections.
Purchased from the Updike family for $1.25 million, the farmstead was bought with a $400,000 grant from the New Jersey Green Acres program and a $191,250 grant from the Mercer County Open Space Preservation Board.
The Planning Board also approved a minor subdivision on Harris Road Thursday night, despite a flurry of unhappy statements from local residents.
The application will divide a 15,500-square-foot property, which already consists of two tax lots, into separate parcels, paving the way for the Barsky Brothers development team to add a new, 2,100-square-foot home on the site.
The application was seen by some neighbors as part of the "McMansion" mania, where oversized homes are built on undersized lots.
Neighbors, such as Jefferson Road resident Virginia Kerr, argued against the "planning policy that more, rather than less density is preferable."
Dan Haggerty, who represented the Barsky Brothers, offered a rebuttal.
"To allow appropriate housing in appropriate spots is not only what we should be doing, but it’s one of the purposes of zoning," Mr. Haggerty said.
Furthermore, Mr. Haggerty said, the proposed structure would not be out of scale.
"This is a space that’s the same size as most of the other lots on this street," he said. "What we’re asking you to do is to reflect the reality of what’s there today."

