The Princeton Colonnade Memorial

Bronze Plaques

SUBJECTS: (2) Bronze Cast Plaques

FOUNDRY: J.W. Fiske Iron Works, NY

MEDIUM: Bronze

LOCATION:  Colonnade and Gravesite
500 Mercer Rd
Princeton, NJ 08540
ARCHITECT: Thomas Ustick Walter -original columns of St George Hall

YEAR DED.: ~ 1959 as monument

STEWARDSHIP: The New Jersey State Park Service

Situated atop an elevated field, on Mercer Rd, rises the repurposed Classic/ Doric columns from the Philadelphia home of railroad magnate, Matthew Newkirk and is part of Princeton Battlefield State Park. The Colonnade was declared a National Historic Monument in 1962 Behind the Colonnade- is a circular stone patio and tablet dedicated to the thirty-six (36) unknown soldiers- which include fifteen (15) American and twenty-one (21) British soldiers.

Treatment: Plaques had the corrosion and patina removed using blasting equipment (50psi); media of walnut shells and calcium carbonate. Sanded with ScotchBrite pads and a succession of sandpaper - ending at 800 grit- to blend in areas where graffiti was removed. These plaques were completed In collaboration with Lodestone Conservation- headed by Seth Garland - we repatinated the plaques at the Lodestone Studio in Philadelphia teaming with Seth and Toby. Coated with 4 applications of Permalac lacquer, (2) Coats of conservators exterior bronze wax was applied. The plaques were reinstalled on December 17, 2025

A time capsule was discovered on the western elevation plaque, behind a skim coat of mortar where the inlaid plaque. The NJ State Department of Treasury- Division of Property Management directed us to remove the items in the time capsule for use in a museum. The items were from 1958-1959- before this plaque was installed. The items to be cataloged and made available to public in 2026. Items included, the original architectural drawings of the Colonnade, photos and articles about the ground breaking of the monument, NJ State Declaration of the Colonnade as a Monument, and newspaper articles.