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Department of Facilities Records
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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Department of Facilities at Princeton University is responsible for the construction, maintenance, renovation, and financial management of the buildings and properties owned by the university. The department is also involved in the university's real estate transactions and planning of future land and building use. The offices that comprise the Department of Facilities hire architects and contractors for building construction and renovation, maintain campus housing and university buildings, and oversee landscaping and grounds maintenance.
The department currently known as Facilities began in 1876 when the Board of Trustees established the Grounds and Buildings Committee. The enormous growth of the campus in the 20th century resulted in an increase in size and scope of the department. In 1964, the Grounds and Buildings Committee became the Department of Property and Physical Facilities. The new, larger department included all aspects of management, construction, maintenance, and acquisition of university-related lands and buildings. Though the organization and divisions of the department have changed over time, offices devoted to real estate, grounds and buildings, and physical planning have been a mainstay since 1964. The department was renamed twice more before becoming the Department of Facilities in 1983.
The bulk of the Department of Facilities materials included originated with John P. Moran. Moran began his career at Princeton as an administrative assistant in Grounds and Buildings. He later became the General Manager of Planning, Plant, and Properties ultimately becoming Vice President for Facilities in 1974.
The Department of Facilities records document the daily activities of the department and its numerous divisions, including real estate, grounds and buildings, and physical planning. Documents include blueprints, photographs, correspondence, memos, sketches, contracts, ledgers, tax returns, incorporation papers, by-laws, annual reports, financial statements, newspaper clippings, booklets, and meeting minutes. The history of new building construction and building renovation on campus in the mid-20th century is well represented. Also included are numerous documents related to the Lake Carnegie construction project and the Department of Facilities archived websites.
Please see series descriptions in contents list for additional information about individual series.
Periodic transfers of records are expected from the Department of Facilities indefinitely.
The Department of Facilities transferred the records to the Seeley G. Mudd Library in the 1980s.
Full text searching of the Princeton University Facilities archived website is available through the ArchiveIt interface.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Casey Babcock in May 2008. Finding aid written by Casey Babcock in May 2008. Series 5 was added by Lynn Durgin in December 2015.
Duplicates of printed reports were removed during processing in 2008.
Organization
- Princeton University
- Princeton University. Dept. of Facilities.
- Princeton University. Dept. of Planning, Plant, and Properties.
- Princeton University. Dept. of Property and Physical Facilities.
- Princeton University. Office of Physical Planning.
Subject
- Buildings -- Estimates -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Buildings -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Buildings -- Repair and Construction -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Campus planning -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- College buildings -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Construction industry -- Costs -- Accounting -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Contractors -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Excavation -- Carnegie, Lake (N.J.). -- 20th century
- Leases -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Real property -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Casey Babcock
- Finding Aid Date
- 2008
- Sponsor
- These papers were processed with an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
- Access Restrictions
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Series 1-6 are open for research use. Access to Series 7 is restricted.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.
For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
The Lake Carnegie Records series includes documents related to the construction and maintenance of Lake Carnegie. The bulk is correspondence between University administration and contractors and developers who worked on the project. Financial documents, including invoices, receipts, ledgers, and payroll information are also included. Items of note include a variety of maps, photographs, and blueprints from various stages of the lake's development.
The Lake Carnegie Papers Series is grouped alphabetically by document type. Correspondence is arranged chronologically. Additional documents are arranged alphabetically by subject.
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The Real Estate Office Series consists of documents created during the purchase or sale of University land and buildings. The bulk of the material relates to faculty and student housing. Documents include correspondence, ledgers, meeting minutes, reports, and surveys.
The original arrangement of the files was maintained.
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The Grounds and Buildings Series consists of documents pertaining to construction, renovation, and maintenance of University buildings and land. All manner of University buildings and grounds are represented, including dormitories, gymnasiums, libraries, teaching facilities, parking lots, green spaces, sculpture areas, shrubbery, and lawns. Documents related to campus utilities, such as heating, cooling, water, and electricity, are also included. The bulk of the documents are internal correspondence and memoranda; but reports, drawings, surveys, and financial documents are also included. Major projects represented here include renovations to Nassau Hall, Dickinson Hall, 185 Nassau Street, and several University libraries, and the construction of New South and the Astrophysical Sciences building.
The Grounds and Buildings Series is arranged into two subseries: John P. Moran Files and Office of the Business Manager.
Physical Description22 boxes
The John P. Moran Files consist of documents maintained by Moran during his tenure with what is now known as the Department of Facilities. The documents cover a range of administrative business within the department, including budgetary information, estimates and specifications for building projections, the maintenance of University housing, and the administration of services such as grounds maintenance, food service, and garbage removal. Items of note include correspondence and reports discussing the University's assessment and response to the energy crisis of the mid-1970s.
The original arrangement of the files was maintained.
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The Office of the Business Manager Series consists of documents pertaining to the department's finances. The business of hiring contractors and construction firms for new buildings and renovations and the finances of grounds and buildings maintenance is represented here through correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, and printed material. A bulk of the material pertains to project estimates and budget planning.
The original arrangement of the files was maintained.
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The Physical Planning Office Series consists of documents related to the management of construction of major structures and alterations to existing structures on the Princeton campus. Major construction projects represented in this series include the construction of Wilson College, the Engineering Quadrangle, and the Cyclotron Building. Documents include correspondence between office administration and contractors and architects, reports and studies of campus, internal memoranda discussing the feasibility of potential projects, and financial documents related to specific projects.
The original arrangement of the files was maintained.
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(includes photostats of Latrobe correspondence)
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The Princeton University Facilities public websites series contains two websites-- the main website of the Facilities Department and a website that focuses on the campus plan of the university.
The main website is listed first, followed by the campus plan website.
Physical Description1 websites
The Princeton University Facilities main website provides information on the department's many specialized offices, services, projects, and special initiatives, as well as its organizational structure.
Full text searching of this archived website is available through the Archive-It interface.
The original arrangement of the files was maintained.
Physical Description1 website
The Princeton University Campus Plan website presents the goals and progress of the 2006-2016 Campus Plan and describes the aspirations of the 2016-2026 Campus Plan, as well as information on Environment and Infrastructure Projects. Also included on the website are brochures and publications.
Full text searching of this archived website is available through the Archive-It interface.
The original arrangement of the files was maintained.
Physical Description1 website
Series 6 is comprised of records used by guests of The Princeton House "Fir-Lee" in Sutton Island, Maine, for various purposes, most commonly for journal entries and record-keeping of who visited the location. Also included in the records is a scrapbook that contains photographs of the building as well as a directory of local businesses.
The records in this series retain their original arrangement.
Physical Description1 box
Series 7 includes deeds, affidavit of titles, title searches, supporting legal documents, maps, land surveys, mortgage documents, easement documentation, and correspondence
The records in this series retain their original arrangement.
Physical Description17 boxes
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