Time travel to Princeton University

16th May, 2017

I had come across the big repute of Princeton University, or simply put 'Princeton', while preparing for GRE and looking for universities in the USA to apply for doctoral programs; and I did not dare to apply to Princeton! Obviously, I had never dreamt of myself landing up there some day. Now, when my dear friend Roshmi -  a Fullbright fellow - is stationed at Princeton, and by chance I am visiting New York City; I didn't want to miss this opportunity to visit one of the oldest pioneering educational institutions in the States. The aura of Princeton almost made it look like a pilgrimage!

For those who care for facts, chartered in 1746 as College of New Jersey, later renamed as Princeton University in 1896, is the fourth oldest college in the USA. Besides its undergraduate and graduate programs, Princeton is reputed for being associated with a large army of Nobel laureates it has produced.

Spread across 500 acres, the campus is dotted with iconic buildings built across centuries. The initial set of buildings built in High Victorian Gothic and Romanesque Revival styles were largely been replaced by those in Collegiate Gothic style. Post-1960, a number of modern buildings have come up across the campus designed by architects like I. M. Pei, Robert Venturi, Frank Gehry and others.

Route taken around the University Campus (marked in red)

Journey
Princeton - a town New Jersey - is about 85 km from New York City (NYC). Trains by New Jersey Transit (one way fare is 17.75 USD) takes about an hour from Penn Station in NYC to reach Princeton Junction, where from you take the 'Dinky' shuttle-train to reach Princeton in another 10 min. Along the journey, mostly one would pass through medium-sized townships with small stations.

Campus
Roshmi was waiting for me at the station. She had already prepared a route-map following which we would move through the campus. The campus seemed to be very porous. Along the initial leg from the station, one would find roads lined up with single storied dwelling houses or bungalows with gabled roof. Little did I know if these were inside the campus or not, and this confusion irked me! Roshmi was keen in showing me the house on Mercer Street where Albert Einstein had stayed when he worked in Princeton; but I was not interested. In some time, we were on Nassau Street - the main artery north of the campus. The street was dotted with shops and restaurants; and people there did not look like university students either. Having had filled our stomachs with Shawarma wrap and Baklava, finally we entered the campus.

(from left) Squares with diagonal pathways; series of interconnected courtyards; Firestone Library

Nassau Hall - the first building in the campus to have come up in 1756 - didn't seem to function as the main administrative building (although it does), as it lacked activities around it. In fact, the campus itself seemed to have gone into hibernation over the semester-break. However, the series of interconnected courtyards within buildings, and a series of large green squares with criss-crossing diagonal pathways around them, had created a splendid flow of space.

Diagonal pathways criss-crossing the green squares and interconnecting them (Source: Google Earth)

Next, we were headed towards the iconic Blair Arch, passing in front of the Alexander Hall which housed the Richardson Auditorium built in 1894. The latter was a convention hall, later remodeled in 1984-85 as a concert hall. Blair Arch served as a gateway to the University for passengers disembarking from the train into the town.

(from left) Alexander Hall, Blair Arch, a green square

Next, dropping by the Chapel and looking at the Firestone Library (main library in the Campus) from a distance, we made a move to visit the University Art Museum which housed a good collection of fine arts and artefacts across all the eras: ancient, medieval, and contemporary.

Coming out of the cluster of traditional buildings in terracotta tones, a seemingly anomalous building in white, across the road - seated next to a pool of water, struck my view. It was the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs - a seat of intellect and leadership. Later I figured out that the building (Robertson Hall) was designed by renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki in 1965. The building dressed with tall and slender columns reaching the base as hanging roots of a Banyan tree (symbolizing wisdom!) definitely sits in contrast with its immediate surroundings. It is flanked by Scudder Plaza on one side with steps leading down to a water body at its center. At the center of the pool is 'Freedom Fountain' (erected in 1966) which is said to mimic natural patterns of wind and water erosion. A funny set of animal masks dot the entrance steps to the building. That's another installation titled 'Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads' created by Chinese artist and social activist Ai Weiwei in 2011.

Robertson Hall designed by Minoru Yamasaki (1965)

Getting around the Wilson School, we headed for another modern architecture - a more recent one by Frank Gehry in 2011 - Lewis Library. Being a signature 'Gehry' design, it followed the principles of fluid surfaces on the exterior, and broken spaces and solid colors indoors. Surprisingly, any visitor may enter the library without an university ID.

Lewis Library designed by Frank Gehry (2011)

Having caught a glimpse of the Architecture Lab, we headed for coffee at Small World Cafe where Roshmi is a regular. Sipping on New Orleans-style iced coffee (NOLA), I and Roshmi exchanged our stories. By the time, we reached Roshmi's desk in the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, it was five o'clock - time for me to head back to NYC.

Various installations across the Campus

Adieu Princeton

Definitely, I had been to a great place dotted with aesthetically nice looking buildings and them being woven in a serene landscape. The arrangement would easily have qualified for a royal complex! However, I missed the feeling of being in a campus which has produced 41 Nobel laureates and hundreds of scholars till date. But I question myself, how exactly I 'should' have felt? Which feelings were I anticipating? They say, 'it's in the air'. Did I miss breathing-in? Or, am I not qualified enough to extract the vibe which is there in the breath? With these hesitations, I bid adieu to Princeton University Campus.

Adieu Princeton