By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Two state lawmakers are pressing to meet with the Institute for Advanced Study’s board of trustees as part of their ongoing attempt to save a section of the Princeton Battlefield from being lost to IAS faculty housing.
“There is no question about the historic significance of the property,” state Sen. Kip Bateman (R-16) and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15) wrote in a May 4 letter to Charles Simonyi, chairman of the IAS board of trustees. “As members of the New Jersey Legislature, we believe it is in the interest of the state of New Jersey as well as the Institute for Advanced Study to find a solution that both preserves this unique historic treasure and enables IAS to build the faculty housing elsewhere.”
The two men have asked for a meeting with representatives of the board, which is in town this week.
“A meeting between ourselves and representatives of the IAS board would be a natural first step toward finding a solution and developing a partnership,” the two lawmakers wrote. “We all have so much to lose if we cannot find common ground on this issue.”
An IAS spokeswoman could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Advocates are hoping to save the land the IAS owns and on which it wants to build 15 units of faculty housing. They contend fighting took place there during the battle of Princeton on Jan.3, 1777 — a victory for forces under George Washington in what is seen as a turning point in the Revolutionary War.
Work has started already, although the Princeton Battlefield Society is suing to block the project.
Battlefield Society president Jerry Hurwitz said Thursday that sending the letter to the IAS board chairman represented a “different tack,” as efforts to engage with the IAS administration have “not gotten far.” He said he hopes there are board members “amenable to listening to us, to addressing our concerns.”
He said he found it “peculiar” that the IAS is “stuck” on wanting to build on this site, having spurned offers to sell the land to the Civil War Trust, a nonprofit group interested in preserving it.
The fight over the land has generated wide interest in the media, from lawmakers and others, but little attention from the Princeton Council. Local officials have been silent publicly, while Mr. Bateman and Mr. Gusciora have been among the most high-ranking public officials to wade into the controversy.
Councilwoman Jenny Crumiller said Thursday that the issue has not come before the council. As a member of the local planning board, she voted in 2014 to approve a change the project that the IAS had sought — to adjust lot sizes of the residences — to be able to move forward.
“I certainly wasn’t happy about it,” said Ms. Crumiller in adding she wished the IAS had found someplace else to build.
Mayor Liz Lempert could not be reached for comment Thursday.
