Historic photos provide fertile ground for improvement of open spaces
Ruth Stevens
Part of the Princeton campus is returning to its roots -- literally.
The University has hired a landscape architecture firm to take a close look at the campus and make recommendations on improving the grounds. The company, Quennell Rothschild & Partners of New York City, has developed a five-year master plan that is intended to enhance the open spaces in the historic part of campus surrounding Nassau Hall.
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They also performed a detailed survey of existing conditions, policies and problems. Their goals with the plan include improving the circulation system of walkways, bikeways and roadways as well as creating a consistent philosophy for replacing and enhancing plantings.
Work began this summer on implementing phase one of the plan. Hamilton Courtyard was completely transformed over the past several months.
"The border shrubs had grown so high that they practically covered the windows, not to mention the vista through the arch into the courtyard," said Peter Rothschild, one of the landscape architects. "That was never the intent of the original design."
Working from a photograph taken in the 1950s, Rothschild developed a plan that involved: removing and replacing the border shrubs; widening the diagonal walk; removing a diseased horse chestnut that had been a focal point in the courtyard and replacing it with a magnolia; and installing "up lighting" along the base of the surrounding buildings. The final touch will be restoring the spherical finials on the stone railing along the porch.
The firm consulted closely with James Consolloy, manager of grounds in Princeton's Department of Grounds and Building Maintenance, during the process. Consolloy participated in plant selection and organized the University crew that actually did the renovation.
Consolloy said it is the perfect time for a plan like this to be implemented at Princeton. "In the late '70s and early '80s, the focus was on upgrading the utilities on campus," he said. "In the '90s, we concentrated on renovating buildings and constructing new facilities. Now it's time to work on those areas surrounding the buildings."
Work also began this summer on Lockhart Courtyard. The crew cleared vegetation covering an entire embankment and replaced it with a few trees, once again opening the vista through the arch. New stair handrails were installed at Blair, and a ramp north of the University Store is scheduled to be redone in the spring.
In the summer of 2001, the area bordered by Blair, Joline and Campbell halls, the landscape near Alexander Hall and the green north of Nassau Hall will be renovated. In 2002, the grounds surrounding Whig, Clio and Murray-Dodge are slated for work. The following year, construction is scheduled for Cannon Green and the landscape around Witherspoon, West College, East Pyne, Chancellor Green and the Joseph Henry House. The final phase in 2004 is expected to involve the Holder Courtyard and the areas surrounding Madison, Holder and Hamilton halls as well as the grounds closest to Nassau and Stanhope halls.
According to Rothschild and his partner, Andrew Moore, a number of factors besides the historical references were taken into account in developing the plan.
"We respect the sense of buildings being set in the landscape," he said. "It's an essential quality of the campus that we're trying to preserve. We're also working to maintain a hierarchy of scale in terms of plantings and other installations -- from the intimate courtyards to the larger open spaces."
As the work continues, the most noticeable changes will include repaved pedestrian walks with a material that is both aesthetically pleasing and more durable than the current material. Plants and trees that are diseased or overgrown will be replaced to clean up the landscaping and reduce maintenance problems. In addition, vehicular access to certain parts of the campus is expected to be limited.
The plan for the historic section of campus is only one part of the work Quennell Rothschild is undertaking at Princeton. The University hired the firm to help oversee the entire landscaping process on campus.
A centralized landscape review has been implemented. All landscaping plans are now analyzed by the firm along with a committee of key University employees.
"The tradition at Princeton is diversity," Rothschild said. "We want to keep that tradition, but help provide a stronger visual connection between the different areas on campus. So we're looking for better integration, but not uniformity."
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