MARKING THE SPOT: Lawyer Bruce Afran, who represents the Princeton Battlefield Society, spoke at last week’s press conference announcing that the National Trust for Historic Preservation had named the Battlefield to its list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.”

The Institute for Advanced Study’s case for building faculty housing on an undeveloped parcel of land adjacent to the Princeton Battlefield took a hit last week with the announcement that The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Princeton Battlefield to its 2012 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. This annual list “spotlights important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural, and natural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.”

“As proposed, the project would radically alter the integrity of the historic landscape, which has never been built upon, burying or destroying potential archeological resources and dramatically changing the topography of the terrain — an important element of the battle and essential to interpreting the battle today,” said a statement released by the National Trust. “Local preservationists, led by the Princeton Battlefield Society, are working to prevent construction of housing on this significant portion of the Princeton Battlefield and permanently protect the site from future development.”

“We cannot comment on the basis for the designation of the Battlefield site by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, although we are familiar with the various arguments advanced by the Princeton Battlefield Society,” said a statement released by the Institute for Advanced Study in response to the announcement. “Those arguments were fully aired before the Regional Planning Board, which approved the Institute’s Faculty Housing Project unanimously.” An article about the Planning Board’s decision, detailing the plan and amendments to it “that resulted from the Institute’s discussions with prominent historians,” can be viewed at www.ias.edu/news/press-releases/2012/03/02/faculty-housing.

“The Battle of Princeton transformed prospects for the American Revolution and proved to be a major turning point in the war,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The story of our country’s fight for independence is incomplete without a fully preserved Princeton Battlefield.”

At a press conference announcing the names on this year’s “endangered” list, speakers included representatives from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Princeton Battlefield Society, and local officials. Describing the campaigns to save them, Philadelphia National Trust Field Director Walter W. Gallas spoke of investing in these places “for as long as it takes.” Mr. Gallas and others speakers also took note of the location of the press conference, immediately in front of the Princeton Battle Monument at Princeton Borough. “It’s a sign of the community’s appreciation and respect for its history,” observed Mr. Gallas.

Borough Mayor Yina Moore said that preserving the Battlefield “should be a high priority in our community.” While local “institutions of higher learning” are highly appreciated, she added, “we should not overlook the significance of the Battlefield.”

Kip Cherry, first vice president of the Princeton Battlefield Society, also spoke, setting the historic scene at what is known as “Maxwell’s Field. It was, she said, one of Washington’s first military successes and is believed by some to have altered the course of the war. “The stakes were enormous, morale was low, and the army was losing commissions.”

In addition to “radically altering the landscape,” objections to the Institute’s plan include the belief that filling in the site and building on it would bury yet-to-be found artifacts. The development, said Society President Jerry Hurwitz, is “dead center of the British line.” He described the plan to build on it as “a desecration,” and maintained that the current archeological protocol “is not enough.”

“This is hallowed ground. The search needs to be done in a slow, methodical way,” he observed. Another argument against the Institute’s plan, he added, is the fact that the proposed site is on wetlands with poor drainage. Lawyer Bruce Afran suggested that the Institute had concealed the existence of the wetlands in its application for permission to build on the site. Mr. Afran also described the site as an early location of a Native American settlement.

“The project provides for a 200-foot buffer zone alongside the Princeton Battlefield State Park, with an additional 10 acres adjacent to the Park scheduled to be conserved permanently as open space,” declared the Institute’s statement. “The plan has been carefully developed to respect and enhance the historic setting while ensuring that the Institute will retain its essential character as a residential community of scholars of the highest quality. The Institute remains committed to our plan to build housing for our faculty.”

The announcement of the Battlefield’s place on the endangered list took the Institute by surprise, said a spokesperson, who cited ongoing Institute efforts to protect the Battlefield and to comply with regulations.

“America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” has “identified more than 230 threatened one-of-a-kind historic treasures” since 1988 that are “threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development, or insensitive public policy,” and report that “only a handful of listed sites have been lost.”

Other sites on this year’s endangered list include Sweet Auburn in Atlanta, the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Joe Frazier’s Gym in Philadelphia; the Malcolm X-Ella Little-Collins House in Boston; Terminal Island in the Port of Los Angeles; Texas courthouses; Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch in Billings County, North Dakota; and the Village of Zoar in Ohio.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded nonprofit organization. For more information visit www.PreservationNation.org.