Design, Safety Issues Need to Be Addressed At Site of Proposed Horner House Project
To the Editor:
The modification of the Joseph Hornor House at 344 Nassau Street, one of New Jersey’s 10 most endangered historic buildings, has already sprung copious discussion. The recent presentation of the project at Witherspoon Hall on May 14 was like a university lecture on urban planning. It was burdened by endless details of architectural designs attempting to replicate the historic setting of the house without a genuine concern for the local community. Various architectural drawings of the house with comical multi-level roofs, and walls choked by windows, made me think of an opulent wedding cake in which a novice chef tries to prove that he has mastered the trade. More is not better! Where is the architect’s judgement? If anyone stopped to see the back facade of the Hornor House from the Whole Earth parking lot, proposed to be demolished and expanded, they would discover a serene place perfectly fitting the historic setting.
One time, after the last vehicles cleared the Harrison Street intersection at full speed, I failed to cross Route 27 at the well-marked spot across the Bank of America while walking to Whole Earth. Though I was in full view, the leading passenger cars had no intention of stopping. The New York bus also followed without stopping. Another time, I had to jump back on the sidewalk as a car speeding on Harrison Street toward Route 1 bounced while clearing the Route 27 intersection. Towns grow and change, for a better place to live?
Once a resident on Cedar Lane showed me how to avoid the crowded Harrison Street/Route 27 intersection from my house by driving via Hamilton Avenue. On my way back, cars continue to tailgate me and honk as I pause to pull into my driveway while they speed toward Route 1 via Sycamore Road. An electronic speed detector makes no difference. The neighborhood is already overcrowded by traffic. Princeton, please save Historic Jugtown!