By Anne Levin
A resolution approved by Princeton Council at its Monday, July 28 meeting could help pave the way for McCarter Theatre Center to buy a portion of the former Westminster Choir College campus, now owned by the municipality.
The theater company wants to use Bristol Chapel, the Playhouse, and other parts of the 23-acre campus to expand its community arts education programs, provide housing for actors appearing in theater productions, hold various gatherings and events, and other purposes.
McCarter’s Executive Director Martin Miller told Council that the theater company has until August 11 to apply to the Economic Development Authority (EDA) for tax credits pursuant to the EDA’s Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion (CAFÉ) program that would help fund preservation, remediation, and improvements for the project.
“It is a rare, one-of-a-kind opportunity to potentially bring in some meaningful outside funds to invest in our arts, culture, and education infrastructure here in Princeton,” Miller said before the vote. He thanked Council for considering the resolution, which creates a letter of intent between McCarter and the municipality — needed by McCarter order to file with the EDA — on short notice.
“We couldn’t let the chance pass to at least throw our hat in the ring,” he said.
According to the meeting agenda, the letter of intent is non-binding until “a definitive purchase-sale-agreement is executed and delivered by both parties.”
The proposal calls for the sale to McCarter of approximately 1.40 acres, for $4 million. The purchase would include Bristol Chapel and the Playhouse building. The chapel would be reconfigured to house rehearsal space, classrooms, a seminar room, practice room, lecture hall, administrative offices, and a work area, as well as production and building support. All of these could be used to host community events for a fee.
The Playhouse would also be adaptively reused, to create a performance space, production and building support. This, too, could be used to host community events for a fee.
There would be new construction at the site of the Cottage building for short-term artist housing. Previous to the pandemic, actors appearing in plays at McCarter were housed in accommodations in town, rented by the theater. But that scenario has not been resumed. Actors have been put up in hotels on Route 1.
While the resolution is non-binding, “it does create an exciting future option for both the company and the town to consider,” Miller said. “If we’re lucky enough to have tax credits awarded, we then have a year to participate in the town’s planning process for the campus and to come up with a site plan to submit for the Council’s review and public comment.”
The former Westminster campus, a part of Rider University since 1992, was purchased from Rider for $42 million by the municipality in the fall of 2024.