Officials in Princeton took the first steps Monday night toward purchasing a 30-acre plot of land that’s been the subject of bitter ownership disputes and was previously home to one of the world’s most revered choral education institutions.
The municipal council introduced two ordinances to take over the former home to the Westminster Choir College, a renowned choral education institution that boasts distinguished musical alumni among its ranks.
But the sprawling campus has been in disarray following the exodus of the school and all its academic programs to Rider University’s campus in nearby Lawrenceville in 2020, leaving the world-class music training and performance facilities mostly to lay dormant. Municipal officials are hoping to use some of the land for public use.
Princeton’s early steps to take over the property comes weeks after the town approved a controversial plan to bring affordable housing to a theological seminary nearby. While the plans for the sprawling campus are still under discussion, officials noted that there are a pair of schools nearby and that the public’s interest would be prioritized in determining what to do with the land.
One ordinance introduced Monday night effectively condemns the 30-acre plot of land – which contains several buildings that have significantly deteriorated. The measure also gives Princeton’s government the go-ahead to declare eminent domain in order to obtain the property. Another ordinance appropriates about $50 million to finance the purchase of the campus land.
This latest action comes just weeks after Princeton approved a controversial plan to bring affordable housing to the campus of a 200-year-old theological seminary. In July, the council voted unanimously to rezone part of the Princeton Theological Seminary’s property and clear the way for a local developer to build 238 apartments, about a fifth of which will be reserved for low- and moderate-income residents.
Municipalities all over the Garden State are preparing to find out how much affordable housing they’re required to build over the next decade as part of New Jersey’s unique Mount Laurel doctrine, which creates a constitutional obligation for localities to provide for affordable housing development.
In a statement, the council and Mayor Mark Freda said the property would help the municipality plan for the future.
“Acquisition of this property would represent a generational investment — enabling Princeton to more effectively plan for its long-term future — including but not limited to the provision of much-needed educational and recreational facilities for the community and school district, and other public needs,” the council wrote.
Princeton Council President Mia Sacks said she couldn’t comment directly on the ordinances prior to their formal hearing and referred Gothamist to the statement from the mayor and council. Sacks noted that the sprawling campus is located near two schools.
The council plans to vote on the $50 million appropriation next month, with a vote on the measure to condemn the land and allow the municipality to declare eminent domain in mid-October.
The Princeton mayor and council said in their statement that they are “committed to working with all interested community stakeholders to determine the best public purposes for this centrally located site.”
“This is an exciting moment for Princeton and one the governing body believes will result in countless public benefits to be enjoyed for decades to come,” the governing body wrote.
For nearly six decades, Westminster Choir College – which originally moved to Princeton after philanthropist Sophia Strong Taylor gifted the land to the school in 1935 – thrived in Central Jersey. But the school and land fell on hard times financially and were sold to nearby Rider University in the early 1990s, which vowed to continue Westminster’s musical mission.
Over the past five years, the choir college property has been the subject of a tremendous amount of legal back-and-forth.
Rider University and the Princeton Theological Seminary – which laid claim to the campus – have been locked in ongoing litigation over Rider’s attempt to sell the school to alleviate its own financial hardship. At the same time, a group of former students are currently suing Rider to try to bring Westminster back to Princeton.
The recent discontent belies a rich musical history on the campus. The school has hosted performances by many noted conductors, including Leonard Bernstein and Arturo Toscanini. Some of the school’s distinguished alumni include Donald Nally, conductor and opera chorus master for the Chicago Lyric Opera, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
But following the announcement of the ordinances, both Rider and the seminary appear open to the idea of the municipal government purchasing the land.
Anne Stewart, executive vice president for Princeton Theological Seminary, said in a statement that the seminary “takes seriously its role as trustee of the trust established by Sophia Strong Taylor, the original donor of the land, and will evaluate the municipality’s interest in the property.”
Kristine Brown, vice president of external affairs at Rider University, said the introduction of the ordinances to acquire the former campus of Westminster Choir College “is the first step in a larger process.”
“We understand the municipality intends to use the property for public purposes, which we believe would be a good outcome for the property and the community,” she said.
Brown added that since relocating to Lawrenceville, Westminster Choir College of Rider remains “dedicated to its mission of providing world-class music education and fostering a vibrant cultural environment.”
She noted that in the past year applications to the choir college grew by 11%.
This story was updated to include additional information about the 30-acre campus.