Why did the building cross the road? For the building at 91 Prospect Street, the answer is more than just to get to the other side.
The University will begin the process of moving the building currently located at 91 Prospect Avenue to a new location the other side of that street on Feb. 8, four days earlier than originally scheduled. The move is part of the University’s agreement with the town of Princeton in connection with the new Environmental Studies and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (ES+SEAS) complex.
The building will be elevated in its entirety, placed on a rolling rig and transported to a new location.
Formerly the home of the Court Club eating club, which closed in 1964, the building to be moved currently houses the Office of the Dean for Research. Following the move, the building will be renovated to be made fully accessible, and to include additional office and conference spaces and a larger veranda.
Dean for Research Pablo Debenedetti has announced his resignation, effective June 30. A search for his successor is ongoing.
The 91 Prospect Avenue structure will be moved to an adjacent lot, which previously held 110 Prospect Avenue. That building was moved to the backyard of the houses located at 114 and 116 Prospect Avenue on Nov. 10 and 11 of last year.
According to University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss, the last known building relocation at the University took place in 1977 when residential homes were moved to Nassau Court, next to Thomas Sweet Ice Cream.
Starting Monday, the building currently located at 91 Prospect Avenue will be rotated 180 degrees for positioning on the opposite side of the street from its final resting place.
The University expects that it will take three days to rotate the building and one additional day to move it across the road. The closure of parts of Prospect Avenue to vehicular traffic and pedestrian detours are expected to remain in place until the end of February.
According to Hotchkiss, the “north end of the CBE [Chemical and Biological Engineering] building will be located on the portion of the site previously occupied by 91 Prospect.” Hotchkiss added that the building will be “referred to as the ‘Theorist Pavilion.”’ According to a report, three percent of the ES+SEAS development will occupy land currently occupied by the building at 91 Prospect Avenue.
“This part of the building will provide faculty offices and meeting spaces for groups doing theory and modeling simulation research,” Hotchkiss said, adding that this “will result in better processes for the production of new materials, greater energy efficiency, tools for addressing climate change and carbon sequestration, and development of new pharmaceuticals and vaccines.”
The University originally proposed the demolition of three Victorian houses located at 110, 114, and 116 Prospect Avenue in order to make enough room to move the 91 Prospect Avenue structure into their place.
The University’s initial plan sparked significant backlash. More than 1,500 signatures were gathered by a group called the Save Prospect Coalition, comprising town residents, alumni, the Princeton Prospect Foundation (PPF), and the Graduate Interclub Council (GICC), opposing the University’s plan. The latter two organizations are affiliated with Princeton’s Eating Clubs. Town residents cited the “charm and warmth” of the street, contributed to by the three Victorians.
One argument against the plan was voiced by Princeton resident Lydia Hamilton in Town Topics in June 2021. “We moved here 11 years ago,” she said, “for the historic architecture, walkable town, good schools, and access to transit to our places of employment. Princeton University’s plans aim to take half of that away.”
“We believe [the University] can rework just three percent of their project to help with the historic preservation of the district,” Sandy Harrison ’74, Board Chair of the PPF, said in an interview with the ‘Prince’ in 2021. At the time, he suggested that instead of moving the Court Clubhouse, the new entrance could be built in an open plot of land due east of the current location of the clubhouse, which is outside of the current historic district.
However, in response to feedback from the Princeton Planning Board, PPF, and the local community, the University agreed to preserve all four buildings in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) issued by the University’s Office of the Vice President for Facilities to PPF on Oct. 20, 2021. The Princeton Planning Board accepted the relocation proposal during its Oct. 21, 2021 meeting and unanimously approved that relocation as part of its Jan. 20, 2022 meeting.
The MOU also agreed to support the creation of a historic district along Prospect Avenue between Washington Street and Murray Place. The proposal for a historic district was officially approved by the Princeton Town Council on July 11, 2022.
See below for a map of locations relevant to this story.
Sandeep Mangat / The Daily Princetonian
Correction: A previous version of this article mislabeled the Bobst Center for Peace and Justice as Charter Club. The ‘Prince’ regrets this error.
Madeleine LeBeau is a staff news writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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