Aaron Burr Hall to Receive a Makeover Providing 'Elbow Room' for University

Matthew Hersh

Representatives of Princeton University have announced plans to demolish a two-story section of Aaron Burr Hall at the corners of Washington Road and Nassau Street and replace it with a three-story, 11,600 square-foot addition.

Other improvements to the site include additional sidewalks, paver areas, lighting, and landscaping, according to University Architect Jon Hlafter.

The project provides extra "elbow room" for the Humanities and Social Sciences academic division at the University, he said.

The new addition will promote "better use" of what had been been an "inefficient and dysfunctional" space, the architect added.

Aaron Burr Hall was built in 1890 with the dilapidated wing added sometime during the 20th century, according to Mr. Hlafter. The main building contains approximately 23,400 square feet of space.

Mr. Hlafter credited the revitalization as an improvement to the only remaining building on campus by 19th-century architect Richard Morris Hunt. While Mr. Hlafter conceded that Mr. Hunt was better known for his other accomplishments, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Vanderbilt Estate in North Carolina, he maintained that the structure is "substantial, and deserves another life."

Other improvements to the site include restoring and replacing existing slate walks with bluestone steps, walkways, and a handicap walk. Further, seven new trees and over 150 shrubs will be planted to add a "softening effect" to the façade, Mr. Hlafter said.

The building, named for the University's second president, now houses the University's anthropology department. The new space will be used for faculty offices, study areas, lecture halls, and meeting rooms.

In other news, the University submitted to the Princeton Regional Planning Board a proposal to construct 5' by 15' and 5' by 10' Plexiglas bus shelters on both the east and west sides of Washington Road near Goheen Walk. The structures, each to feature bronze translucent acrylic roofs and bench seats, will be connected to their respective sidewalks by newly-built walkways.

The bus shelters will help to facilitate the University's successful P-Rides jitney system. The University has identified the Washington Road location as an "important junction" for the system, and has subsequently requested changes in the zoning of the area to allow the installation. Princeton Borough Zoning Officer Frank Slimak submitted no objection to the University's variance requests.