To the Editor:

To me, “Defend Historic Princeton” means that it is the job of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), to defend historic Princeton. As a longtime member of the commission, I take that role seriously as do the other members of the commission. Over the past years, the volunteer commission has made sure that the rebuilding of the National Historic Landmark stone arch bridge over the Stony Brook by NJDOT was done appropriately; we worked with the cell phone companies to make sure that the massive equipment being added to telephone poles, if located in one of Princeton’s 21 historic districts, was placed in the least intrusive location; and we help property owners find the best solutions for repairing or expanding their buildings.

Defending Historic Princeton also means the collaborative work of the HPC with other agencies to address and accommodate stormwater management, to assist owners of historic structures directly affected by recent floods; researching the history of ice harvesting at Mountain Lakes Preserve so that, with State historic preservation funding, sympathetic reinforcement of the dams could be incorporated in an effort which could have drastically changed the atmosphere of that beloved trail system.

The orange signs — regardless of their origination — have become an opportunity to discuss aspects of historic preservation from resource conservation — to taking a gentle approach to the important and irreplaceable — to seeking ways to harmonize the new with the old. The HPC helps ensure buildings representing a wide mix of important and sometimes difficult times can remain standing as tributes to the citizens that survived those times. It works hard to designate districts as diverse as the two newest: Witherspoon-Jackson and the eating clubs on Prospect Avenue.

The HPC stands up and adds its voice to the every-10-year process of updating the master plan to ensure the protection of our historic resources, and provides professional opinion on complicated matters before both the planning and zoning boards.

The HPC also depends on the work of other community organizations such as the Historical Society, Morven, and the Princeton Battlefield Society, who do the research to interpret our history, and provide the volunteers to share those stories.

Defending Historic Princeton means that authentic elements of the built environment tied to our past are available for future generations to experience. Defending Historic Princeton is investing in saving the stories, the artifacts, buildings, landscapes, and battlefields that tell a collective story of Princeton, and not allowing them to be lost.

David Schure
Stockton Street

The writer is a long-serving member of the Princeton Historic Preservation commission, lives in a historic house requiring review of physical changes to the exterior, and has spent a career working with individuals, organizations, and municipalities in Historic Preservation efforts.