By Anne Levin
Thanks to a $400,000 grant from the State of New Jersey, the restoration and reconstruction of the Paul Robeson House of Princeton is closer to completion. The project at the childhood home of the famed singer and activist has been underway for nearly two decades.
“This gets us to within $200,000 of our goal to finish,” said Kevin Wilkes, lead architect on the project, at a presentation of the check Tuesday morning on the front steps of the building at 110 Witherspoon Street. “We are that much closer to the finish line.”
On hand for the presentation were State Sen. Andrew Zwicker, State Assemblyman Roy Freiman, State Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis, Mayor Mark Freda, Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society founder Shirley Satterfield, and board president of the Robeson House Ben Colbert, among several community members.
Once completed, the project at the three-story wood frame house will have cost just over $1.5 million, said Wilkes. The Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church board of directors spent $400,000 to purchase the house, which has been presenting programs that will expand to include concerts, lectures, poetry readings, and education events celebrating Robeson’s life and legacy. A key component is service to the community, with three bedrooms on the third floor dedicated to temporary lodging for service workers, immigrants, students, and others needing a transitional place to stay.
“This is the ultimate in community involvement,” said Colbert. “This is a neighborhood that has been quickly transitioning, and we wanted to preserve the legacy of Paul Robeson and the way it once was, which was always a place of community.”
Freda praised the state for making the funds available. “What a great thing for the state to find money for us to support one of the great causes in Princeton,” he said.
Zwicker, whose office presented the check, said he was “beyond thrilled” that the final bit of funding could be provided by the state. “It’s a tribute to the perseverance and dedication they have shown to honor one of the great New Jerseyans of all time,” he said, adding that his mother was a singer who told him about
Robeson when he was young. “This is a full circle moment for me, knowing that now everybody can learn about him as a singer and activist.”
Freiman said working on the project was a privilege. “It’s not only about the history, it’s about the way they are utilizing it for temporary housing,” he said. “It is so unique. It’s a very thoughtful way of honoring Paul Robeson and respecting the community.”
The restoration project’s lengthy timeline is due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, the complexity of restoring the deteriorated historic structure, and fundraising. Support has come from community donations, private philanthropy, and foundation grants, including funding shared with the Paul Robeson House in Philadelphia through the Mellon Foundation.
The first floor, once a barbershop that served Princeton’s segregated Black community, is now the Robeson Gallery, featuring memorabilia from Robeson and articles documenting the history of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood. The second floor is meeting rooms and offices, while the third level is dedicated to the temporary lodgers. A rear courtyard will have gathering space and a private entrance for the temporary residents.
Satterfield, who was involved in the project from the beginning along with the late Jim Floyd and the Rev. David McAlpin, recalled knowing Robeson and visiting the house as a child. “My grandmother was his teacher. I remember going into the house with her,” she said. “This means a lot to me. It is very special, because I knew him.”