HPC backs Charter Club addition but flags utility transformer and tree removals

The Princeton Historic Preservation Commission on a unanimous vote recommended that the Zoning Board support a Charter Club’s application to add an elevator, a small open-air pavilion and other site improvements while preserving the building’s historic materials and appearance.

The commission’s endorsement — described on the record as a recommendation to the Zoning Board rather than a final permit — came after the applicant team and preservation reviewers discussed exterior materials, a new ADA entrance, landscaping and an on-site electrical transformer that the utility company requires for upgraded service.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the project largely meets Secretary of the Interior preservation principles and will restore and protect interior spaces by moving service functions into the addition. Commissioners also said the transformer’s required size and siting pose a visual and landscape challenge for the streetscape and neighboring properties.

Architect Maura (Moira) McClintock, partner at Ford3 Architects, reviewed materials and details that the…