Downtown – Witherspoon Street – Princeton, New Jersey
A lot is packed in the roughly 982 feet of Witherspoon Street from Nassau Ave to Paul Robeson Pl and Wiggins.
FitzRandolph Gate, the iconic main entrance to the Princeton University campus along Nassau Street in Princeton, New Jersey. Designed by the renowned firm McKim, Mead & White and completed in 1905, the wrought-iron and stone gateway stands as a prominent historical landmark. According to deep-rooted campus legend, undergraduate students must never exit through the main center gates before their senior year commencement. Doing so is heavily rumored to cause them to fail to graduate on time. For decades, the gates remained locked and were only unlocked for special ceremonial events like graduation and the annual alumni P-rade. In 1970, the graduating class successfully pushed to keep the gates permanently open to symbolize a welcoming connection between the university and the surrounding global community. The monument was originally built using a bequest from Augustus Van Wickle to honor his great-grandfather, Nathaniel FitzRandolph, who generously donated the original plot of land where Nassau Hall was built.
Chancellor Green Hall was completed in 1873 and designed by prominent architect William A. Potter, the building represents a striking shift away from classical architecture on campus. The High Victorian Gothic Style exterior features distinctive reddish-brown plum-colored stone adorned with delicate blind tracery panels and a bold crenellated (castle-like) parapet framing the pointed archway. A short flight of wide stone stairs leads up to a pair of substantial, heavy wooden double doors underneath a large transomed archway. [1, 2] Directly outside this specific entrance sits the tranquil 9/11 Memorial Garden. The courtyard features a prominent large bronze bell titled Remembrance, dedicated to honoring the 13 Princeton University alumni who tragically lost their lives during the September 11 terrorist attacks.
East Pyne Hall was completed in 1897 and designed by architect Raleigh C. Gildersleeve. East Pyne serves as a centerpiece of the university’s classic Gothic Revival landscape. The structure is primarily composed of rich, rusticated Lockatong argillite and New Jersey brownstone, creating a deep plum-and-orange hue that beautifully matches the university’s official colors. Above the sweeping Tudor archway rests a grand, blocky tower topped with crenellated parapets, large multi-paned traceried windows, and intricate Gothic carvings. The easternmost archway of East Pyne Hall was formally named the James Collins “Jimmy” Johnson Arch. Johnson was a fugitive slave who escaped to Princeton, worked on the campus as a beloved merchant for over 60 years, and was eventually legally freed after a historic local trial. Today, East Pyne Hall houses the university’s humanities and language departments, while its picturesque central stone courtyard remains one of the most photographed and recognized student spaces on campus.
John Witherspoon Statue, located prominently in Firestone Plaza directly outside East Pyne Hall on the Princeton University campus. Born in Scotland, John Witherspoon immigrated to America and served as the highly influential sixth president of the College of New Jersey (later renamed Princeton University) from 1768 to 1794. He was a prominent Presbyterian minister and became the only active clergyman to sign the U.S. Declaration of Independence. This impressive 10-foot-tall bronze sculpture was crafted by renowned Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart and installed on campus in 2001. It stands atop a substantial 7-foot limestone pedestal. The monument is actually an identical twin to another statue of Witherspoon located at the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley, Scotland.
The statue has recently been a focal point of intense campus debate. In late 2022, a petition signed by over 300 graduate students and faculty members requested its removal, highlighting that Witherspoon was a slaveholder who opposed immediate abolition. Following a thorough evaluation by the University Naming Committee, the Princeton Board of Trustees issued a formal decision to keep the statue in place, choosing instead to introduce new informational plaques to provide a more complex and complete historical context of his legacy.
Labyrinth Books, located at 122 Nassau Street is a prominent independent bookstore. It is widely celebrated for its extensive collection of academic, scholarly, new, and used literature. The basement has an impressive collection of used books. The shop regularly sets up outdoor rolling carts piled high with discounted fiction and non-fiction titles underneath its signature blue awning, attracting students and locals walking along Nassau Street.
Dohm Alley, an award-winning public art space located at 100 Nassau Street. Tucked quietly between two brick buildings right off Nassau Street, this modest 80-by-10-foot passageway was transformed from an abandoned slot into a dynamic “portal of poetry, music, and art”. The entrance is framed by a striking circular structural archway designed as a modern moongate. This particular iteration features a dense grid wall adorned with white ceramic flower sculptures and succulent planters. The alley functions as an outdoor gallery and micro-theater, hosting multimedia light projections, soundscapes, winter wonderland displays, and historical science exhibits—such as interactive installations celebrating the local legacy of Albert Einstein.
Starting down Witherspoon Street across from the FitzRandolph gate, one is greeted by this curious blind wall with a few renegade windows on the upper floor. Deeply fluted channels run from base to coping. Urbanistically and architecturally this is a huge missed opportunity and a weak start to the street.
Softening the blow is Small World Coffee. Founded by a dynamic entrepreneur who conducted an extensive search for the ideal location, at the time they opened over 30 years ago they were one of the only coffee shops in Princeton. Today they are known as being a place where you might rub shoulders and run into a Nobel laureate or other accomplished individuals. Some people even elect to run their businesses out of this location.
Across the street is Agricola. Part of the Harvest Restaurant Group, they are one of several restaurants that feature locally sourced ingredients that are expertly prepared. One is guaranteed a remarkable time visiting and dining here.
Looking southward, J. McLaughlin is a clothing store right next to Agricola.
The painting of this lettered sign on the side of the store was a major undertaking involving many municipal officials having to approve it. By contrast the disorderly appearance of the bike racks, trash, and recycling receive less attention.
North of Small World are two storefronts – both businesses which closed less than two years after these photos were taken. One focused on raw blends of juices and health conscious offerings, and the other was a national ice cream and chocolate franchise with headquarters based in Michigan. While very different businesses they both found reason to close.
Jules Thin Crust pizza and Mamoun’s Falafel are the next two locations on this side of the street. Both draw a loyal following. During the Princeton University Reunions, not long after this photo was taken, Mamoun’s recorded a record sales day for this location that goes back over 50 years.
Olive’s is a mixture of a deli, fast casual restaurant, and a catering business. They extensively serve the Princeton community, including being the preferred caterer for the Princeton University hockey team and numerous other organizations around town.
Before continuing down Witherspoon, a slight detour shows us a beautifully designed alley connecting Witherspoon to Palmer Square – a planned commercial development under a single leaseholder.
The gray exterior wall features a beautiful custom-painted trompe-l’œil mural depicting a traditional Gothic-style window. Inside the painted frame, an alchemist and a barrister are pictured sharing a meal and a pint of ale, playing on the pub’s name and historic theme.
On the Palmer Square side Teresa’s Pizza and Wine Bar has a gracefully curving barrier for their outdoor dining area. This is part of the Terra Momo Restaurant Group. They have multiple other locations including Mediterra less than a block away.
The Alchemist & Barrister Restaurant & Pub (locally known as the A&B), is tucked away at 28 Witherspoon Street. Known affectionately as the “Cheers of Princeton,” this historic establishment has been a beloved town fixture since 1974. Its European-style brick-paved side patio features bright, colorful bistro tables nestled neatly under a vibrant blue-and-white striped awning.
Looking a bit further northward, one is struck by the multi-story building wall to either side. The Princeton Public Library has a prominent position on the right hand side. This is the last building before the Princeton Cemetery just beyond it where Aaron Burr and other luminaries are buried. The Witherspoon Street streetscape project at the time of this photo was nearing completion. New pavers had been laid but the landscaping had not been planted yet.
Purinsu Ramen was just past House of Cupcakes. The faux half-timbering is seemingly in place with the historic location, but the contemporary use does not correspond with the outside appearance well.
House of Cupcakes is another business on this side of the street that moved and relocated to a smaller location on Nassau Street a few blocks away just a year or two after this photo was taken.
elements and Mistral are perhaps the highest end dining that Princeton has to offer. They are located in a building that local developer and civic leader Charles Yedlin worked with Metuchen architect Fred Schmidt on. They attempted to bring an innovative design to enliven an otherwise stogy strip.
One last view is from Hinds Plaza, a public square located at 55 Witherspoon Street. Positioned directly alongside the Princeton Public Library, this plaza serves as a central community gathering space for outdoor dining, community events, and seasonal farmers markets. The carved curved stainless steel railings were designed by artist Gage Alspach. Installed in 2005, these decorative panels are etched with complex physics formulas, mathematical equations, and quotes celebrating the groundbreaking work of Princeton’s most famous resident, Albert Einstein. The back of the plaza is framed by a long concrete and wooden trellis pergola. Covered in climbing vines and wrapped in string lights, it offers shade to visitors relaxing at the public tables and chairs. In the background under the pergola sits the storefront of Ten Thousand Villages (formerly Shop the World), a long-standing fair-trade retailer showcasing artisan goods from around the globe.