The former Westminster Choir College property on the corner of Walnut Lane and Hamilton Avenue may be acquired by the Municipality of Princeton.
The Princeton Council introduced a pair of ordinances that begins the legal process for the town to acquire the 23-acre campus at its Sept. 9 meeting.
One ordinance authorizes the acquisition of the Westminster Choir College campus from Rider University “by negotiation, purchase, condemnation or eminent domain.” A public hearing on the ordinance is set for the Princeton Council’s Sept. 23 meeting.
Acquiring the former Westminster Choir College property would represent a generational investment, enabling Princeton to more effectively plan for its long-term future – including, but not limited to providing much-needed educational and recreational facilities for the community and the school district, Princeton officials said.
The second ordinance is a $50 million bond ordinance that earmarks $42 million for the purchase of the former Westminster Choir College property at 101 Walnut Lane. The remaining $8 million in the bond ordinance covers expenses related to its acquisition.
A public hearing on the $50 million bond ordinance is set for the Princeton Council’s Oct. 14 meeting.
Rider University acknowledged that the two ordinances are the first step in a larger process.
“We understand the municipality intends to use the property for public purposes, which we believe would be a good outcome for the property and the community,” said Kristine Brown, vice president of external affairs for Rider University.
The Westminster Choir College campus has been mostly vacant since the 2020-21 academic year. That’s when Rider moved the choir college to its Lawrence Township campus.
Rider University acquired the choir college and its campus through a merger in 1992. Rider decided in 2016 to sell the college for financial reasons and launched a worldwide search for a buyer who would keep it in Princeton.
Rider University found a buyer in a commercial, Chinese government-owned entity known as Beijing Kaiwen Educational Technology, Ltd. The deal fell through in 2019. Rider University then announced plans to consolidate and move the choir college to its Lawrence Township campus.
The announcement triggered two lawsuits filed by Westminster Choir College students and the Westminster Foundation in 2018 and 2019 to block the move. The foundation, whose members include faculty, former board members, donors and alumni, is not affiliated with the choir college.
The lawsuits are still pending, and may go to trial in late 2025.
The students sued to block the sale of the Princeton campus. Both the students and the Westminster Foundation opposed the move to Rider University’s campus because they claimed Rider would be unable to match the specialized facilities at the Princeton campus.
The facilities at the choir college campus ranged from 46 specialized practice rooms to space for 20 pipe organs and 165 pianos.
In response to the lawsuits, Rider University claimed the students did not have the right to go to court to protect the school. Rider asserted that it was the only body that could make decisions regarding the Westminster Choir College.
But the students are beneficiaries of a 1935 trust that purchased the land for the Westminster Choir College and that requires it to remain on the Princeton property. The trust was created by Sophia Strong Taylor, who gave the land to the choir college when it moved from Ithaca, N.Y.
If the choir college abandons the campus, the trust requires the land to go to the Princeton Theological Seminary, according to an advisory report prepared by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. The seminary trains Presbyterian ministers.
Attorney Bruce Afran, who represents the students and the Westminster Foundation, emphasized that the town does not have the legal right to acquire the property because the courts have ordered that it must be operated as a religious educational trust.
“Under the First Amendment’s separation of church and state, Princeton cannot own property that must be operated as a religious establishment. So, it’s highly unlikely that the town can ever purchase the property in the first place,” Afran said.
Given that the lawsuits filed by the students and the Westminster Foundation are active and will likely go to trial in late 2025, Princeton may not be able to buy the property, Afran said. The title to the property is contested between the students, the Westminster Foundation, Rider University and the Princeton Theological Seminary.
