SOUTH BRUNSWICK – The Mapleton Preserve Commission, led by chairman Robert von Zumbusch, made a presentation to the Town Council at a meeting on July 8 about progress made regarding the preservation plan for the preserve.
“We’ve worked to try and create a unified vision for the Mapleton Preserve,” von Zumbusch said. “It’s a real treasure for New Jersey, but it’s also important for the history of the state.”
The Mapleton Preserve is only a part of Princeton Nurseries, which was “one of the largest and most innovative commercial tree nurseries in the United States,” according to a brochure from the South Brunswick Township Historic Preservation Commission.
“It’s all about the trees,” von Zumbusch said, pointing to a dawn redwood, saying it was one of the first ones planted in the United States.
Besides the rows of trees, the preserve also contains a propagation house, greenhouses, storage buildings and fields from when the nursery was still in operation.
“The nursery hasn’t been tended since 1995 [when the Flemers, who have owned the property since 1911, moved their operations to Allentown],” von Zumbusch said.
“William III was really the one who received world renown for what he had done [which was propagating new species of tree],” von Zumbusch said. “Although William II had done quite a bit, too, he really had. It was a model nursery.”
The state of New Jersey, along with the township, jointly acquired the nearly 53- acre Princeton Nurseries property. The township, through certain agreements, is obligated to turn the property into a “historic preservation center devoted to the preservation of the historic agricultural character of the area,” according to the commission’s status report. There has been much progress already to complete this goal.
Fences have been put around the greenhouse and two warehouse buildings for safety. A $75,000 grant has been obtained from Middlesex County to construct trails. A $14,200 grant was acquired from the New Jersey Historical Commission for the preparation of a brochure and a PowerPoint presentation. Grants of $75,000 and $50,000 were also received from the Middlesex County Cultural and Historic Commission and the Garden State Historic Preservation Trust, respectively.
On Feb. 19, the New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites voted unanimously that the Princeton Nurseries Historic District had national significance and should be put on the national register. Now, one of the main goals of the commission is to make the propagation house complex an educational center, so that the public can learn about the area and its history.
“The propagation house was the central part of the whole nursery operation,” von Zumbusch said.
Money is a big issue in this restoration project and obtaining grants is important, according to von Zumbusch. The budget for the project is $1.5 million. The commission’s possible plan asks the township to apply for a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust of $750,000. The rest of the money would come from the Mapleton Preserve Endowment Fund and other places.
If the buildings in the preserve are not restored within five years, they must be demolished and the demolition will be done by Princeton University. There are not many things that the warehouses can be used for, other than storage.
“The state has expressed some interest in using the big warehouse [which is about 35,000 square feet] for some of their storage needs,” von Zumbusch said.
Von Zumbusch made sure to thank the township for all of their help trying to get this project completed.
“The township has worked very hard on this project,” von Zumbusch said.
“Mayor Gambatese knows the building here could really be an asset to the township and state,” said Karen Linder of the Friends of Princeton Nurseries, who have also helped out a lot in this process.
The group especially aided the effort during the time when Princeton University wanted to build up to 350 residences along Mapleton Road and the D&R Canal.
“That freaked a lot of people out,” Linder said. “It would definitely change the face of the canal, as well as change the rural feel that you have in Kingston. The face of Kingston would have been dramatically changed.”
With the help of an outpouring of residents, Linder got the town to rezone the property from residential to office research and got Princeton University to agree not to build along Mapleton Road.
For now, though, it’s all about money.
“The Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands will hold a capital fund drive, but until there’s really some seed money to start it, it won’t work,” Linder said.
Von Zumbusch knows it won’t be easy, but he hopes this site will be become an educational facility that can become a model for the state, just like the model nursery it is honoring.
“Today, almost all the preservation groups have to be a part of it because not one preservation group can do it on their own,” von Zumbusch said.