James W. Firestone of Princeton
The Princeton school board is thinking about demolishing the older part of the Valley Road School, facing Witherspoon Street, because it is becoming too much of a liability in terms of insurance and maintenance costs.
It is a frightening thought. I would miss the presence of the building with its three gothic arches reminding me of Princeton University architecture. That old part was our first school that brought us all together from the three one-room school houses on Mt. Lucas, Cedar Grove, and Stony Brook.
The borough still has its own original school at 185 Nassau Street, reflecting its educational past. Notice that few institutions of higher learning contemplate taking down any of their original buildings, like Nassau Hall. Why is that?
In a sense the old Princeton Township School is like a temple. A temple is an edifice in which a god resides, a building that brings forth the presence of that kind of force which holds us together. Is education our god in a sense here in Princeton?
Think about the taxes you pay relative to what you give to the church of your choice. That’s how important your schools really are to you. Valley Road School opened up a world in this community historically. It continues to contribute to the look we gave ourselves on that corner (the new firehouse and municipal buildings).
It also gives to many of us here our outlook on ourselves and our community. Little Brook, Riverside, Community Park and Johnson Park all came from this place and drew on Valley Road’s teachers for their good start. According to Norm Van Arsdalen, we had these teachers in large part thanks to Bertha Eisenman McKenzie, the principal, 1923-1960.
Valley Road’s work has not faded away. Over the years it served as the administrative headquarters and as space for non-profits to help our community (Corner House, Princeton Community TV, the Y’s, etc.) As Princeton grows it needs the flexibility of low-cost school space for many of these groups manned by volunteers. Our economic system leaves some loose ends up to us. Community oriented programs fill in for it, and that is how we work as Americans. We can’t afford to lose that flexibility that this central space and place gives to us.
Certainly, the space should be used more effectively than as a store house for the other school renovations. It is not cost effective. Put the junk in a storage barn on River road or get rid of it.
Can you imagine instead the better use of that wonderful auditorium and the huge space below it? Can you imagine what this historic building could mean to the development of the township’s Main Street, Witherspoon, as it spreads up the block toward the hospital?
We should celebrate this building instead of knocking it down.
James W. Firestone
Princeton

