Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Commission approves Princeton Universitys preservation plan for 144 Mercer Street
Loading...
Summary
The Princeton Historic Preservation Commission approved a preservation-plan application from the trustees of Princeton University for 144 Mercer Street, endorsing restoration work that preserves the home's historic fabric while replacing nonoriginal materials visible from Mercer Street.
The Princeton Historic Preservation Commission on March 24 voted to approve a preservation-plan application from the trustees of Princeton University for 144 Mercer Street in the Mercer Hill Historic District.
Counsel Christopher Degresia told the commission the project is "mostly a maintenance and restoration application" focused on preserving the property's historic fabric and stabilizing a house that has been vacant. Architect Maura McClintock presented a slide-based report that traced the buildings evolution (the central portion dates to about 1795, and the front portion to roughly 1811) and described a scope of work that includes resetting uneven brick walks, removing overgrown vegetation, removing a nonoriginal chimney and pizza-oven addition at the rear, regrading to improve drainage, repairing slate roof sections and flashing, and replacing nonoriginal windows.
Staff emphasized that Mercer Hill is a Type 2 historic district subject to preservation-plan review for changes visible from the public right-of-way, and said most proposed work affects later twentieth-century additions and is "in-kind" maintenance. The staff report singled out the proposed change to replace the windows visible on the 1811 front portion with wood windows as the principal public-facing alteration. Staff asked commissioners to consider compatibility with the Secretary of the Interiors Standards and whether the work preserves the districts character.
Commissioners praised the proposal as sympathetic to the buildings character. One commissioner said, "This is always going to be Wanda's house ... I just see improvements, repair," and another welcomed the applicants shift from aluminum-clad to wood windows. The architect said the front five windows will be replaced with wood windows to match the historic openings and that matching, aluminum-clad windows would be used at rear, less-visible elevations. The proposal also calls for reusing original shutter hardware, replacing light fixtures with warmer (2,700Kto300K) lamping recommendations, and replanting with 36-inch boxwoods on either side of the entry.
Kristen Applegate, assistant vice president for community and regional affairs at Princeton University, told the commission the university has a formal naming committee and that external naming suggestions can be forwarded to that committee if the commission wishes to propose a name for the property.
A commissioner moved to approve the plan "as presented"; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call. The commission closed public comment (no members of the public were present) and directed staff to finalize the approval paperwork.
What the approval means: the commission recorded its determination that the proposed work would not adversely affect the buildings contributing status in the Mercer Hill Historic District, provided the contractors follow the materials and methods discussed at the hearing. The approval includes conditions discussed at the meeting: wood windows on the front elevation, reuse of original hardware where feasible, and plant-schedule sizes for replacement plantings.
The commission is expected to receive final drawings and to monitor compliance with the preservation-plan conditions through its standard administrative process.
