By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
Plans for the construction of a gateway commemorating the life and times of Albert E. Hinds at the downtown plaza that bears his name are moving forward, after Princeton Borough Council gave its blessing to the committee leading the project.
The gateway, to be made of stainless steel, will be sited at the southern corner of the Albert E. Hinds Plaza plaza near Witherspoon Street. Decorative touches will refer to the life experiences of the noteworthy Princetonian, according to artist Tom Nussbaum, who made a presentation to the Borough Council on Tuesday.
Mr. Hinds, who died in 2006 at the age of 104, was described by other presenters as having lived a life representative of Princeton’s African-American community during the 20th Century. “Mr. Hinds’ life was a struggle, as were more in his generation in Princeton,” said Jim Floyd, a member of the Hinds Plaza Committee.
Committee members discussed his association with the Witherspoon School for Colored Children, the horse-drawn taxi he operated for a time and the construction tools he used to help pave Nassau Street. The gate’s location near the John Witherspoon neighborhood is appropriate, Mr. Floyd said, because black residents of the neighborhood came from “the depths of Witherspoon Street” where there were no views of Nassau Street or the Princeton University campus.
Mr. Nussbaum stressed that his design is very preliminary in nature but assured council members that the gateway would fit in with the plaza’s existing architectural features. “The goal is to create something that belongs,” he said.The use of stainless steel would make the gateway nearly maintenance-free, according to the artist, who has created similar pieces of public art at NJ Transit stations in Bayonne, Jersey City and Montclair. His sculptures also have been displayed inside the Princeton Public Library.
Along with Mr. Nussbaum and Mr. Floyd, Hinds Plaza Committee members include former Borough Councilwoman Wendy Benchley, Princeton resident Shirley Satterfield and others. The committee members said the gateway would remain forever open, to commemorate Mr. Hinds’ life.
Ms. Benchley said the committee intends to do its own fundraising to pay for the gateway, which is expected to cost about $70,000, although she said she would welcome a municipal contribution to the effort.
Councilman Roger Martindell said he looked forward to future presentations as Mr. Nussbaum’s plans advanced. He said he was interested to see how the artist would incorporate social symbols into such a project, rather than industrial symbols like those adorning Mr. Nussbaum’s train station works.

