New fight brews at famed Princeton battle site, A plan to build housing on historic site

star ledger ^ | August 08, 2007 | TOM HESTER

[Coleus]

The way Jerry Hurwitz sees it, it doesn't take an Einstein to understand the significance of the hal lowed ground on which a pivotal Revolutionary War Battle of Princeton was fought 230 years ago. Part of the battle on Jan. 3, 1777, was waged on 22 acres of gently sloping farmland now owned by the Institute for Advanced Study. The institute -- an independent, private research institution that counted physicist Albert Ein stein among its faculty -- is adja cent to the 85-acre Princeton Battlefield State Park.

But that section of the battlefield was never incorporated into the state park, and the institute is now reviving a plan to build hous ing for 15 families on eight of the 22 acres. That has Hurwitz, president of the Princeton Battlefield Society, and the society's activists ready for battle.

"We are not against the institute building housing; we are just saying, 'Don't build on the field,'" said Hurwitz, a Princeton attorney. "Honor the sacrifice of the soldiers and New Jersey's historical heritage. New Jersey wants to be known as the Crossroads of the Revolution. What are people going to see, housing?"

The institute wants to erect seven single-family houses and two four-unit townhouse blocks for faculty. Asked when it would move on the proposal, institute spokeswoman Margaret Sullivan said, "This will not happen until detailed plans and specifications are completed, a process that will take several more months."

The 77-year-old institute, situated to the east of the battlefield, is a world-renowned center where about 200 scholars work on long- range research. Einstein was one of the institute's first faculty members, serving from 1933 until his death in 1955, and played a significant role in its early development. The institute has produced numerous Nobel laureates.

[Coleus]

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[Clemenza]

Ordinarily I would be up in arms, particularly as I walk the grounds of this particular battlefield frequently. What is easily forgotten, however, is that the most of the battle site was DEVELOPED along time ago. What was preserved is merely a small slice of the southwestern portion of the battlefield.

The IAS owns the land, and has the right to do as they see fit. Being that many of their visiting scholars (unless their name is Joshcka Fischer) can't afford market-rate housing in Princeton anyway, this is merely just a way to lure more junior scholars to the Institute.

[Barnacle]

"Honor the sacrifice of the soldiers and New Jersey's historical heritage. New Jersey wants to be known as the Crossroads of the Revolution. What are people going to see, housing?"

I agree that it should be preserved. But, this is America. So, if that's going to happen, it means that a governmental entity has to come up with the funds to buy the land. To do that, they need to use money collected from citizens in the form of taxes.

So, taxpayers have to make a decision. Decisions to the affect of - give the money to junkies on welfare in Trenton, or buy a historic battlefield.

Contrary to popular opinion, money is a limited resource.

[SoCalPol]

Ping

Hope they have a good Hist. Soc. to battle this.

[Fudd Fan]

Thanks for the *PING*

This is terrible! But I do know the State Historic Preservation Office will be on their side. There’s the same ongoing struggle in northern Virginia regarding the Civil War battlefields. Overdevelopment abounds... it’s awful.

[Pharmboy]

Well, sure, they have the RIGHT to build whatever on their land, but they could inconvenience themselves by a few hundred yards and build elsewhere on their property.

But this is not surprising coming from Princeton. Their attitude to their own RevWar history is...how can I say...indifferent.

For example, if one does not know (when visiting Nassau Hall) that it was one of the most sigificant buildings in colonial America (the largest, for one) and was a key site during the battle, you would not be able to figure it out.

[Clemenza]

Keep in mind also that Princeton University still owns most of the land that is Plainsboro Township. Revenues from the sale of land in said area have been very good for the Uni's endowment over the past 20 years.

In other words, they could very well build "faculty and scholar housing" farther up Route One on considerable land that they already own. Even though the Institute is technically, "independent", its faculty and staff still have their checks paid by the university.