As I drive in and out of Princeton during my commute each day, I pass new businesses and shops on Nassau Street and buildings and institutions that have been around for decades on Bayard Lane. I even drive by a home that Albert Einstein once lived in on Mercer Street. As my mind begins to wander, I can’t help but think about how much this town has evolved in its nearly 280-year existence. The changes, development and urbanization can be seen on many streets in Princeton, but none more so than Spring Street.
Often overlooked, Spring Street is a small offshoot of Witherspoon St., in the heart of downtown Princeton. Only .1 miles long – not even one and a half football fields in length – the evolution of this little street is a shining example of Princeton’s vast history. The street we know today is home to many businesses, restaurants, and, perhaps most notably, a very busy parking garage. Just over 100 years ago, however, this entire area was undeveloped land. Sitting in this location was Vandeventer Pond which was fed by both a spring and Harry’s Brook, and sat alongside Vandeventer Street. The pond, popular for ice skating in the winter time, was covered over between 1895 and 1902 and now flows beneath the street. The evolution of this is visible on the Sanborn Insurance Maps. Also seen is the evolution of this street’s name. Originally called Spring Garden Street, the Garden was dropped some time between 1906 and 1911.
Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Princeton.
Using the Sanborn Maps, Polk’s Princeton Directory and several other directories and phone books in the library’s collection, you can see the development of the area and the evolution of the businesses that followed, including Christine’s Vanity Parlor. Christine Moore Howell was a savvy businesswoman who studied chemistry in France and helped to create and served as commissioner of the New Jersey State Board of Beauty Culture Control. In the 1920’s she opened and operated a beauty salon at 12 Spring Street, and owned the adjoining laboratory where she created her own beauty and hair care products. Christine’s Beauty Salon remained open until the 1950s.
Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Princeton.
In 2003, construction on Spring and Witherspoon Streets was underway with the building of a new parking garage, library building, apartments and a town plaza. During this time, engineers used a rowboat to check the depth of the excavation for the planned construction. Water from the original pond and brook resurfaced bringing us all back in time.
Two businesses that have remained throughout the changes are Hinkson’s and Chuck’s. Hinkson’s Office Supply Store has been in business for decades when Harold M. Hinkson, Jr. purchased the business when he returned from Army service in France at the end of WWII. Chuck’s Spring Street Cafe was opened in 1981 by Princeton University alum Chuck Hector. A Princeton staple, the cafe specializes in hot wings and is popular with university students. Purchased in 1990, Chuck’s was briefly owned by Lyle Menendez, one half of the infamous Menendez Brothers duo. New to the street this year is Haru Grab and Go and the Palestinian restaurant, Ayat, two places that are quickly becoming favorites of mine and my colleagues.
Though Spring Street and Princeton continue to evolve, I’m grateful that the town and the library have the resources to help us see its evolution. For more information on Local History resources, visit our resource guide. Also, ask us. We’re here to help.