The New Battle Of Princeton - New Housing Development Planned For Battlefield Area

(wiki image: A painting of George Washington rallying his troops at the Battle of Princeton)

WTF? Princeton Battlefield Area Threatened by a Housing Development ???
By Kim Burdick, Advisor Emeritus National Trust for Historic Preservation

The Institute for Advanced Study wants to build on-campus faculty housing, but faces opposition from many across the nation who want to preserve a potential extension of Princeton Battlefield State Park.
Safely across the Delaware River and out of the line of fire, I am wondering why the Institute for Advanced Studies is being so short-sighted.
By shifting their thinking only a little bit, they could easily emerge as the real heroes of the Battle of Princeton instead of looking like a bunch of goons and bullies.
Is the Institute for Advanced Study’s goal really to destroy an important piece of history? Probably not. However.....
Damage the environment? Probably not. However.....
Did that dude really, truly, say that Einstein is more important than George Washington? Probably yes. Obviously an Idiot. Meh-if George hadn’t been there first, would Einstein have had a safe harbor during WW2.?
I can see why the opposition to the Institute’s lovely housing development is rising—not only in Princeton, but across the Nation.
This situation reminds me of my mother who used to scold her brilliant and beautiful honor roll children by remarking: “Guys. If this is what the smart kids are doing today, I’d hate to see what the dumb ones are doing.”
The Institute’s goal is housing, right? OK. Imagine easy pedestrian access to schools, libraries and grocery stores. Imagine living in beautiful Victorians, brick colonials, charming wood framed houses with spacious porches.

The real deal—authentic—keeps its value; appeals to scholars, preservationists, environmentalists, geeks of all sizes and shapes. The members of the Institute for Advanced Study would look like good neighbors and superior citizens. They could get positive press not only nationally but internationally. As it is, they are being slapped upside the head and irritating potential partners.
Housing is easily come by. Land swaps are cool. Destroying a potential part of an important historical region is stupid, dumb and vulgar.
For the same amount of money the Institute plans to spend on legal fees and new housing construction they could circumvent a lot of ugly publicity and put a positive spin on the situation.
My suggestion, and only a suggestion, is that Institute of Advanced Study take advantage of the bad economy. Tap into Preservation Trust Fund, get business tax credits, and buy up some of the lovely old homes in the Princeton area that are languishing in this economy.
Surely the so-called “smartest people in the world” should have enough brains not to act like such losers. One thing Americans learned from George Washington is that sometimes retreat is an excellent war tactic.
Public Hearing at 7 PM Dec 8 at 400 Witherspoon St., Princeton Township Town across from Conte's.

For more information on the new Battle of Princeton contact: Jerry Hurwitz President, Princeton Battlefield Society ( c )609-947-6574 (w) 609-243-6190
- Princeton Battlefield Society is a 501 c 3 (charitable) corporation.

Institute's Housing Plan Gets Tough Introduction princeton.patch.com.

Kim Rogers Burdick, MA, MPA
Newark, Delaware

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