Christmas tree stands tall in Palmer Square

Standing approximately 70 feet in height, the Norwegian spruce tree rooted in the green at the center of Palmer Square is currently dressed in 32,000 lights. Earlier in December, the evergreen tree made the annual transformation into the town’s Christmas tree.

Princeton’s tree rivals the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City, which is decorated annually with over 30,000 LEDs.

This connection to the Rockefeller Center tree is not a coincidence. According to both founder of Princeton Tour Company Mimi Omiecinski and former Borough mayor Marvin Reed, it is likely that the concept of Palmer Square itself was inspired by its larger, more famous counterpart in New York City.

Edgar Palmer, Class of 1903, who was friends with John D. Rockefeller, conceived and financed the construction of Palmer Square in the late 1930s. The tree was first planted in its current location in the square’s green in the mid-1940s.

“When Palmer was developing Palmer Square in the mid-1930s, John D. Rockefeller was a friend of Palmer’s, and he used to go into New York to have lunch with his friend,” Reed said. “Rockefeller was designing Radio City and Rockefeller Center. To some extent, Palmer copied the same idea with the central square — on a much smaller level. They were both pioneers in a way, in that type of urban redevelopment.”

Reed, who moved to Princeton in 1956 and served as the Borough mayor for 13 years, notes that the tree has “grown tremendously” over the years. Alumnus Bradford Mills ’48 also said the tree has grown significantly, noting that “it was much smaller” when Mills was a student at Princeton.

When the tree was first planted in Palmer Square, it was around 10 feet tall, according to Jim Elkington, the facilities manager for Palmer Square Management, the management organization that oversees the holiday decorations of the tree, as well as general management of Palmer Square. Elkington said along with the growth of the tree, the decorations have also expanded. Currently, the Palmer Square Management spends $35,000 for all the holiday decorations around Palmer Square and $1,500 for the electricity to light the tree.

When Elkington first started working for Palmer Square Management in the 1970s, there were single streams of lights running down the tree. By the 1980s, only blue lights decorated the tree. Currently, the tree is covered in more than 32,000 multi-colored lights from top to bottom, and preparations for stringing up these lights begin as early as October.

Elkington said there have also been a few special decorations. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the tree was decorated in red, white and blue lights.

The lighting of the tree has become a tradition of the holiday season in Princeton, according to Township resident Natalie Kolasa, who attended the lighting ceremony this year.

“The Palmer Square tree is great because it feels like one giant family tree for all of Princeton,” Kolasa said. “Standing together with everyone for the lighting of the tree feels as if everyone in Princeton is united, at least for that night.”

Palmer Square Management vice president David Newton said the tree-lighting ceremony was very popular, noting that this year 7,000 people attended the ceremony, which also involved caroling and a Santa Claus appearance.

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In fact, because decorating and lighting the Christmas tree is a long-standing annual Princeton tradition, Reed said he is worried that the tree might eventually get too old.

“What would we ever do if we have to replace it?” Reed said. “We would have to rely on an artificial tree, which is tacky, or bring in a sizeable cut-down tree for several decades.”

But for now, the tree is in good condition and is still growing, according to Elkington.

Newton emphasized the importance of the tree to Princeton.

“I think that the very fact that the roots are here in Princeton indicates longevity,” Newton said. “New York’s tree is temporary.”