Princeton commission approves emergency repairs to Updike Farmstead wagon shed with conditions

The Princeton Historic Preservation Commission on April 7 approved an emergency application allowing the Historical Society of Princeton to demolish a failing lean-to on the wagon shed at the Updike Farmstead and to reconstruct the lean-to and repair roof framing and windows, provided the lean-to is not rebuilt and the commission’s experts meet with the applicant within two weeks to review roof framing details.

The commission’s vote responded to a structural engineer’s report documenting instability after winter thaw and the applicant’s request for an expedited review. The application covered work at 354 Quaker Road (Block 100201, Lot 11), in the Princeton Battlefield historic district and within multiple preservation overlays. The Historical Society asked to replace roofing with the same diamond-shaped asphalt shingles previously approved, reconstruct the lean-to in the same footprint, replace second‑floor wood windows to match existing muntin patterns, repair or replace siding and trim with salvaged material where feasible, and rebuild foundations with masonry faced in stone veneer using salvaged rubble where possible. The application noted removal of six trees, including multi-trunk cherries and a walnut that encroached on the lean-to.

Why it matters: commission members and local preservationists said the wagon shed contains very old fabric and…