By Anne Levin

Princeton University is seeking approval from Princeton’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) to turn Bainbridge House, the historic building at 158 Nassau Street that most recently housed the Historical Society of Princeton, into office space for the educational programming staff of the Princeton University Art Museum, as well as a gallery and gathering space.

Hoping for approval, the University outlined its plans at a presentation to the HPC Monday evening. But there were outstanding questions and additional discussion was needed when the meeting ended, so the presentation and discussion will be continued at the HPC’s meeting next month, according to Kristin Appelget, the University’s director of community and regional affairs.

“Once we have the necessary approvals, we are hoping construction is complete and the building is occupied by early 2019,” Appelget said before the meeting. “Interior preparations are underway inside.”

Princeton University has owned the 18th century Bainbridge House since 1877. Since 1910, it was leased for $1 a year, first to the Princeton Public Library, which was located there for five decades; then to the Historical Society of Princeton, which occupied the building from 1967 until making the Updike Farmstead on Quaker Road its permanent home in 2015.

Originally a private residence, Bainbridge House was built in 1766 and is considered one of the area’s best preserved examples of Georgian architecture. The first owner was Job Stockton, one of the town’s early settlers, and it is said to have lodged members of the Continental Congress in 1873.

The house was later leased to Dr. Absalom Bainbridge, whose son fought in the War of 1812. The building served as a dormitory for Princeton University students before becoming headquarters for the Princeton Public Library.

The University was originally hoping that the building would be ready for re-opening in the fall of 2017. The New York architectural firm Murphy Burnham & Buttrick was hired to restore, renovate, and repurpose the building in 2015. According to the architectural firm’s website, the work includes “making it universally accessible, and repurposing its interiors to provide public space on the first floor — with gathering space, exhibits, information, shop, ticketing, and information — and offices for Princeton University Art Museum’s Education Department on the second and third floors.”

Improvements will update the building’s mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and security systems. The aim is “to make the house more accessible, welcoming, and open, while maintaining its historic architectural integrity,” the website reads.

Bainbridge House is in Princeton’s Central Historic District.