OLD AND NEW: Joshua Zinder Architects (JZA + D) wants to build an addition to its current office at 254 Witherspoon Street, at left. Shown in a rendering, the new building at right would be connected via a recessed, glazed “hyphen.” (Photo courtesy of JZA + D)

By Anne Levin

After reviewing an application from the architecture firm JZA + D to build an addition to its office at 254 Witherspoon Street, Princeton’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) voted unanimously on May 19 to send the application to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, recommending its approval.

The Zinder firm, which wants to expand in place, hopes to add a two-and-a-half story addition to its current office via a glazed “hyphen” connector.

The existing building dates from the 1920s. Known as the Annette V. Taylor House, it was a one-family dwelling built in Colonial Revival style, and was sold in 1993 after generations of the Taylor family lived there. Zinder purchased it in 2020.

The new addition would sit at the corner of Witherspoon Street and Leigh Avenue. Nine variances are sought for the project.

Key to the HPC’s approval is the firm’s plan to locate a laundromat in the basement of the new building. Residents of the Witherspoon-Jackson district have not had a laundry facility for several years.

“From this property, it’s a 20-minute walk to the nearest laundromat at Princeton Shopping Center,” said Zinder “When we first moved in, I sat on the porch and watched people taking their laundry, on bikes, to the shopping center.”

The firm did a survey, posted around the neighborhood, asking residents if they would use the laundromat if one was located in the new building. Seventy-nine percent of them said yes, Zinder said, adding that he already has a tenant and two backups who are interested in the space.

Speaking in favor of the project was neighborhood resident Leanna Jahnke, who is executive director of Princeton Nursery School, located in the district.
“I really see how this project aligns with a lot of the work I do professionally,” she said. “It addresses community needs and uplifts and preserves Black history, which is so important here in Princeton. Also, the need for a laundromat is very much there. Here, we have the possibility to walk to a location so convenient. It really reduces those barriers. I urge the committee to continue removing barriers with this wonderful project.”

Members of the HPC expressed some concerns about proposed colors, signage, some materials, and massing. There were several questions about the top section of the new building, which JZA + D was asked to consider making smaller.

“The main issue I’ve heard is about the top section of the new building,” said HPC chair Julie Capozzoli. “It’s rather prominent, and if there’s a way to diminish the impact of that section, that would create a little more harmony between the new building and the existing building.”

The firm was praised for its sensitivity to the history of the existing house and the neighborhood, and their hiring of Hunter Research to delve into its past. The house first showed up on Sanborn maps in 1927. Taylor built it between 1923 and 1926.

“For a working-class Black woman to build a home during this period, on a prominent street in Princeton is quite remarkable,” Zinder said. “We want to maintain that legacy.”