Iconic Princeton University Building To Be Demolished

I love new things, but I also love history. If I had my choice, I'd love in a historic home that has been renovated with all of the "bells and whistles" that come with a new house.

That's why I have a difficult time deciding how I feel about older buildings being destroyed to make way for newer things.

One of those situations is happening now. According to planetprinceton.com, a decision has been made to demolish the FitzRandolph Observatory on the campus of Princeton University.

The FitzRandolph Observatory is located on FitzRandolph Road near Princeton Lot 21.

Planetprinceton.com says that that space will become the home of a new soccer stadium, which makes sense because several other of the University's athletic fields are located in that area.

According to princetonianamuseum.org, the FitzRandolph Observatory was commissioned in 1932 and opened in 1934. Ironically, it was built to replace the University's Halstead Observatory which was demolished to make way for Joline Hall.

Back in February when a conceptual plan that included demolishing the observatory was presented to the Princeton Planning Board, a University spokesperson told The Daily Princetonian that the "observatory became obsolete long ago and has since been used for storage."

An architect for the university told planetprinceton.com that when the observatory was disassembled, its stone would be placed in a storage yard in West Windsor until it can be put to "meaningful" use somewhere else on campus.

The Daily Princetonian also reported in February that the university's Elementary Particles Lab West and East would also be demolished and that while Clarke Field and Strubing Field would remain, those spaces could be considered for expansion plans in the future.