Historical Society of Princeton announces preservation awards
The Historical Society of Princeton’s 2007 awards in recognition of outstanding contributions to historic preservation include four residential buildings 25 Edwards Place, 20 Greenhouse Drive, 121 Broadmead, and 82 Library Place; two public projects the Princeton Battle Monument and Quaker Road Bridge, and one neighborhood association "Jane’s House."
25 Edwards Place:
Owned by Princeton University’s Office of Real Estate Finance, 25 Edwards Place was appropriately rehabilitated by T. Jeffery Clarke of Princeton.
Initially constructed circa 1896 in the Folk Victorian style, by the 1960s the house had fallen into some disrepair. Minor improvements were made during the ensuing years and a significant two-story apartment addition to the rear was constructed in the 1990s. Rehabilitation work began in 2005 with Garretson Custom Builders and was completed in 2006. Substantial repairs and restoration were part of the renovation, including rebuilding the nearly collapsed front porch, replacing the windows with similar, two-over-two high-performance sash and re-roofing, along with necessary mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. Light fixtures and paint colors for the exterior were selected to complement the period of the house and to be compatible with the award-winning paint color scheme of the Mercer Hill Historic District.
20 Greenhouse Drive:
Sensitivity to the historic fabric of the building is the hallmark of the restoration of the Drumthwacket Garden Building at 20 Greenhouse Drive. This Tudor Revival-style building was built circa 1893-1905 as one of the outbuildings on the former Drumthwacket estate. Designed by prominent architect Raleigh C. Gildersleeve, the Garden Building served as a stable, a sheep pen and storage for wagon and farm equipment. Subdivision of the Drumthwacket estate began in the early 1940s, and the outbuildings were converted into residences. In 2005, restoration work began with the replacement of the deteriorated slate roof with synthetic slates, closely matching the original ones; the brick walls, mainly of Flemish bond were preserved, and a later sunroom addition was removed and various door and window alterations were replaced with more historically appropriate elements. The architect for this extensive project was Tony Lineberry of the Lineberry Group, Raleigh, N.C., and the contractor was the late Herbert Tagger.
82 Library Place:
After three years of painstaking effort, a remarkable adaptive reuse and preservation of the Tudor Revival home at 82 Library Place has been completed. Originally built by New York architect Edward S. Child for Woodrow Wilson in 1896, the building has been intelligently restored at the direction of Ron Berlin, architect, Judie Nemeth, interior design, and Holly Nelson, landscape architect. Baxter Construction led a team of dedicated craftsmen whose contributions to the overall design and its detailing are evident in every turn. While retaining critical and important aspects of the original building design, the home has been updated to accommodate a modern family through the introduction of new mechanical systems and a more open plan. A spectacular new solarium replaced a rotted screen porch, and a largely reconstructed garage building has been sympathetically designed to function as an important element in the overall landscape plan. This respectful and thorough project captures the best aspects of history and craft.
121 Broadmead:
Although a newly constructed building, the residence at 121 Broadmead exemplifies how a new building can appropriately fit into a well-defined historic neighborhood. In 1908 a development group, in which Moses Taylor Pyne was a principal, built a group of spacious houses designed by architect William Harris. Around 1920 Pyne donated them to Princeton University as faculty housing. Located along Broadmead and FitzRandolph between Prospect and Western Way, they were known as "White City" because of their original coloration. They were Tudor Revival in style, compatible with the university’s desire to emulate the great English universities in its buildings. Although they were not alike one another, the buildings formed a highly cohesive group thanks to their materials, a combination of stucco and wood, faux half-timbering, multiple gables, steep slate roofs, grouped windows with plain and divided lights and projecting bays.
Unfortunately, as it approached the century mark, the original building at 121 Broadmead was found to suffer from black mold and be seriously deteriorated. As a result, it was demolished. The replacement, designed by Ford3 Architects, is a sensitive in-fill design. Its massing is compatible with its neighbors, yet at the same time is of the 21st century, not the 20th. Without exactly replicating any detail, the building refers to all the features that characterize the group.
"Jane’s House."
Thanks to an extraordinary neighborhood effort, 60 S. Harrison Street, a residence that had been part of the streetscape for nearly 80 years, was saved by Kathleen Abplanalp, her husband, Charles Douglas, and their neighbors. Built in 1928 by a local builder and enlarged after World War II, the craftsman colonial house that had been home to Jane C. Taylor for 49 years was sold in 2005 to Barsky Builders, who planned to demolish the old house and build two new ones. Ms. Abplanalp and Mr. Douglas, who lived next door to "Jane’s House" and hoped to buy it, mobilized their neighbors immediately and opened negotiations with the Barskys. The preservation group appeared before Borough Council, put up flyers throughout the borough and publicized their struggle. Twenty-eight neighbors joined the couple as they worked out a compromise with the Barskys in which Ms. Abplanalp and Mr. Douglas would buy the house and its new smaller lot after a subdivision with variances had been approved by the Regional Planning Board. In May 2006 Igor and Roman Barsky received subdivision approval and in turn sold "Jane’s House" to the couple, and began construction of a new house on the second lot.
Princeton Battle Monument:
Planning for the Princeton Battle Monument began in 1887. Sculptor Frederick MacMonnies and architect Thomas Hastings of Carrere and Hastings completed the heroic sculpture and architectural pylon in 1922. At a location directly adjacent to a U.S. highway, the monument has been subject for many years to deterioration from the sulphur and carbon compounds generated by the passing traffic. In 2001, the State of New Jersey’s Divison of Parks and Forestry began planning for the conservation of the monument. After the resolution of budget constraints, work began on the project in the summer of 2006. Led by Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects and Aegis Restauro, the conservation included cleaning of sculpture and architectural stone with poultices and micro-abrasives; carved stone and composite patches at areas of loss, and complete replacement of the mortar to match the original material. The displaced pebble-dash pavement was also replaced. In addition, the Princeton Parks Alliance is sponsoring a project led by the Princeton Design Guild to light the monument.
The Princeton Battle Monument is once again a gleaming monument, a fitting tribute to the Battle of Princeton, the culmination of the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution on Jan. 3, 1777.
Quaker Road Bridge:
Located at Stony Brook, at Quaker Road and Stockton Street, the Quaker Road Bridge may date to as early as 1809. Early in 2006 the western parapet and wall of the Quaker Road Bridge collapsed. Prompt reconstruction was mandated, but due to the historical significance of the bridge, several government offices were involved, including the Mercer County Bridge and Highway Department, the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office and Princeton Township’s Historic Preservation Commission. The project included documenting the bridge, selecting stone compatible in scale, color, and character, and the use of appropriately pigmented mortar, laid up with traditional pointing, and the addition of a state-regulated concrete core. The work was completed in August 2006 and the bridge reopened. In keeping with historical precedent, a commemorative stone is presently being prepared to include the date of the renovation and the names of the craftsmen who recreated the span.
On the Web: www.princetonhistory.org.