The Trenton Times published the following opinion piece on April 21, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Opinion: Preserving Trenton’s historic buildings must remain a priority
By Times of Trenton guest opinion column
on April 21, 2013 at 6:38 AMBy Helen Shannon and Walter R. Dietrich
The Trenton Historical Society would like to respond to The Times’ editorial “Razing buildings, raising hopes (March 15), which discusses the demolition and construction taking place in Trenton at this time. The editorial supports, among some ideas, “at least cursory measures to preserve those properties with historic significance.”
The Society would like to point out the historic nature of many of Trenton’s buildings — public, commercial and residential — and suggest that a focused and concerted effort be made to preserve as much of our architectural heritage as possible. Among the most obvious historic structures are: the 1724 Trent House, the Old Barracks, the Statehouse, the pre-Revolutionary War-era 1st Presbyterian and St. Michael’s churches, the Corner Historic at 1 West State Street, the War Memorial and the Petty’s Run archaeological site.
But historic properties mean more than just buildings identified with significant human events.
Indeed, the term also refers to the wide range of domestic and commercial buildings in the city, ranging from the 18th century through the mid-20th century. Trenton is filled with many such buildings.
Trenton has eight historic districts, identified so by the city’s Landmarks Commission, that are historically and architecturally significant. Six of these eight are primarily residential areas.
The districts are spread throughout the city and include Berkeley Square, Cadwalader Heights, Ewing/Carroll, Fisher/Richey/Perdicaris, Greenwood/Hamilton, Hanover/Academy, Mill Hill and South Warren. One of the purposes of the “historic district” designation is to inspire restoration of these buildings. This does not mean that the rest of the city’s neighborhoods and architecture does not deserve historic status. As a point of fact, the Trenton Historical Society is working to broaden these districts and/or to bring new districts under the “historic” designation.
The Society has done much to try to preserve this range of historic structures. We have long advocated for the preservation of the 1932 Trenton Central High School, so that the inside of the high school may be renovated into a modern school, much the same as the Princeton High School, which was built in 1929 and designed by the same architect, Ernest K. Sibley.
Furthermore, we have worked to maintain the city’s streetscapes with our Restore Trenton Historic Property Rehabilitation Grant Program. The program awards homeowners of structures that are more than 50 years old with grants ranging from $500 to $3,000 for the exterior renovations of their properties. These newly renovated properties not only improve the look and appeal of the individual homes, but as we have seen, they also serve as a catalyst for exterior improvements in the surrounding neighborhood. Additionally, each year, the Society produces a calendar whose images document Trenton’s beautiful and historic architectural past.
We’ve published a list of “10 Most Endangered Historic Sites in Trenton” on our website (trentonhistory.org) and social media feeds will soon begin to publicize endangered buildings and residences that we would like to see preserved. The city recently lost to neglect and eventual demolition two stately buildings — 480 and 482 West State Street — on one of our major thoroughfares. One the buildings was the home of Trenton Mayor Daniel J. Bechtel, who was mayor from 1891 to 1893. The Society tried and failed to save both homes, one of which we believe was a truly historic site.
The Trenton Historical Society has also been working directly with the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey and other area groups to advocate for changes in municipal ordinances that would allow and help the city to better manage abandoned properties and more effectively hold private owners of these properties accountable for their condition.
We appreciate The Times’ acknowledgement that attempts should be made to preserve properties with historic significance, but more than “cursory measures” will be needed to maintain the historic fabric of Trenton’s cityscape.
The Trenton Historical Society truly understands the need to ensure that properties are kept safe and free from roaming gangs and drug dealers; however, we must also fully balance this need against the troubling destruction of the unique and historic architecture around us.
Projects such as the Roebling Market (formerly part of the Roebling Steel factory); the Broad Street Bank apartments (in a former office building); the Cracker Factory lofts (formerly a manufacturing building); and Rho Waterfront restaurant (inside the original 19th-century Peter Cooper ironworks) prove that new development can happen in tandem with historic preservation.
The Trenton Historical Society would like to see active efforts made by the city, its public and private citizens and the city’s supporters to proactively create opportunities for rehabilitation, renovation and maintenance in order to save these wonderful buildings from demolition due to neglect, mismanagement or the lack of understanding of the importance of the historic in contemporary times.
Helen Shannon and Walter R. Dietrich are, respectively, president and treasurer of the Trenton Historical Society.