Cap News | June 2021
Cap and Gown is preparing to reopen this fall!
Club Manager Dennis Normile and the staff are hosting some long delayed alumni events at the club this summer. The staff has been working during the pandemic on a number of chores to keep our staff members employed and the club in tip top shape.
Save the date, Saturday, October 23rd, for Fall Homecoming!
The biggest news on the "Street" right now are the University's plans to start construction of the "East Campus," the new home for ES-SEAS (Environmental Studies and the School of Engineering and Applies Science) behind the Eating Clubs on Ivy Lane. This is a very large project that will have a major impact on the club neighborhood during the construction phase and beyond.
The University plans will disrupt the Princeton Historic District, which is on the National and State Historic District, by moving the former Court Club at 91 Prospect Avenue across the Street and replacing it with a new ES-SEAS Theorist Pavilion shown in the photo above on the right. The Princeton Prospect Foundation, with the support of the GICC (Graduate Interclub Council), has been leading an effort to preserve Court Club in its existing location and preserve the historic Prospect Avenue streetscape.
The University presented the plans for the ES-SEAS East Campus to the Princeton Historic Preservation Commission on June 7th. You can view the video of the meeting here. The Princeton Prospect Foundation and Clifford Zink, historic preservation consultant and author of a widely acclaimed book about the architectural significance of the Princeton Eating Clubs, gave presentations on how the project would damage the historic district and nearby Victorian houses of historic significance. Over 60 concerned citizens attended the meeting and many spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Princeton Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Princeton Planning Board turn down the Princeton University application to move a former eating club across the street and demolish three Victorian homes on Prospect Avenue. Articles on the meeting have appeared in the Town Topics and the Princeton Packet.
We'll be very happy to have the Cap family back at the club this fall.
Please remember Cap and help to support the club by supporting the Cap Annual Fund and also our new option to help our members, the Cap Financial Aid Fund.
Best wishes for the summer.