The Municipality of Princeton’s Historical Preservation Commission has approved Charter Club’s proposed renovations, which include expanding the club’s dining space and making improvements regarding accessibility.
The approval comes more than a year after the club’s October 2023 kickoff event for the renovations, which they are calling Project 79. The project description, written by design firm Ford 3 Architects, explains that the renovation involves additions and changes to the building “to improve access and expand the floor area for Dining Services.” The project also aims to make Charter ADA-compliant by adding a path and ramp, an elevator, and accessible bathrooms.
Those present at the commission meeting on behalf of Charter included Club Manager Holly Trump, attorney and Charter alumnus Robert Ridolfi ’70, and Ford 3 partner Moira McClintock.
At the meeting, Trump gave a brief overview of the project and its motivations, stressing the need for expansion amid growing membership. She also added that, regarding the nearly 4,500 Charter alumni and current students, “as we go forward into making [Charter] newer and better, we still want to keep that heart of what they experienced.”
Charter Club President Madeleine Murnick ’26 wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian that “Project 79 will expand the clubhouse in order to meet the demands of larger membership and to become more accessible. Charter was originally designed for a small group of men, and now serves a much broader community.”
McClintock’s presentation focused heavily on the needs of the club today. The club has faced space constraints due to increasing interest in the club over the last few years, leading to dining tables being placed in rooms not originally intended for dining and food service equipment in the main hall. Since adopting selective sign-in in 2020, Charter has consistently had incoming class sizes numbering 100 students or more. From 2005 to 2016, only one of Charter’s incoming classes had over 100 students.
The project is funded by alumni donations. Murnick shared that the club has raised $5.8 million out of the $6.4 million needed, and that it “will continue to fundraise until the completion of construction.”
According to McClintock, renovations will include additional floor space for holding servery equipment and additional dining tables, as well as a restoration of the Great Hall.
“We have purposefully tried to respect the architecture of the existing building and look at how to meet the needs of the club,” she said.
In addition, the grounds of a former squash court on the west side of the backyard are being proposed as the base of a new open-air pavilion, which would serve as an exterior space for a variety of events.
Renovations are expected to begin after graduation events this year, with the project expected to be completed in the summer of 2026, although the outdoor pavilion is set to be completed by the end of this summer, Murnick told the ‘Prince.’
In order to minimize disruption, “the majority of the work is set to be completed over the summer … Most of the remaining work will only be on the exterior of the clubhouse,” Murnick added.
Charter members have expressed excitement about the upcoming renovations, including Nick James ’27, who shared with the ‘Prince,’ “I’m a new member, so to see the building being renovated is really cool, and I’m excited to see how it turns out in the end.”
James added that members were shown blueprints of the building and explanations of how to navigate the club during renovations. Another new Charter member, James Beacham ’27, shared that “I think, long term, it’s going to be a great thing for the club, and I’m very excited about it.”
The final motion voted on by the Historical Preservation Commission entailed recommending the renovation project to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, which is responsible for approving any site variances in the plan. The motion stated that the renovations are “appropriate” and that they support Charter “for maintaining the integrity of the historic structure and its setting within the property, the streetscape, and the other clubs.”
The motion also involved a recommendation for the formation of a “landscape subcommittee” to work on the final design of a transformer on the property, which Charter has proposed to hide with native shrubbery to maintain the club’s exterior appearance.
The motion passed after five successive votes in favor. Charter’s proposal will now be considered by the Zoning Board of Adjustment in its upcoming March 26 meeting.
Isabella Roberts is a News contributor for the ‘Prince’ from Ellicott City, Md.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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