The Veblen House

The Veblen House in the 1950s

2012-01-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

I recently obtained some photos of the Veblen House from the 1950s. At that time, it was two-tone, with the top floor brown.

Near the house were a woodshed and a so-called dove cote, which is meant to house pigeons. I've heard that the dove cote was likely installed not by the Veblens but by the previous owner. By coincidence, a friend and I were talking a month ago about how extraordinary it would be for kids to witness a messenger pigeon in action, and thought of the Veblen homestead as one place such an activity could take place.

The woodshed in the background, torn down in 2008 or so by the county, was a very unusual structure, originally designed for the roof to rise and fall to accommodate hay as it was stacked. You can see how the four corner posts extend up from the roof, which slides up and down on them.

The living room, with chestnut paneling, was a lovely green color enhanced by light streaming in the large, semi-circular windows. Einstein and others of considerable fame frequently visited the Veblens. Above the mantle was a painting by Robert Oppenheimer of a beloved New Mexican desert landscape--a gift to Veblen. The painting is now missing.

Even the garage looks attractive, ornamented by azaleas, mayapples and other spring flowers.

Elizabeth Veblen was quite a gardener, and hosted meetings of a local garden club.

Not sure where this photo of Elizabeth was taken,

but this one is out in the field next to the Veblen House.

I believe Max Latterman helped with the grounds, and appears in this photo to be as enthusiastic a wood splitter as Oswald Veblen was reputed to be.

A Giant Hole Is Dug

2011-12-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks, there's been a lot of activity in front of the Veblen House.

Where before there had been a lawn, a garden of irises, and the walkway frequented by Einstein and other friends of the Veblens, a giant hole is being dug.

If you were to look closely at the groundwater at the bottom of the 15 foot deep hole, you'd see a glaze of oil. The remediation probably had its genesis back in August, when I emailed Mercer County asking if they were aware of the underground storage tanks at both the house and the cottage. The vent pipes that stick a foot or two out of the ground above buried oil tanks had been in plain sight all along, but sometimes they are overlooked.

The tanks had held fuel oil for the houses' furnaces, and had been at some point abandoned. Usually one pumps out any remaining oil, due to the risk that the tanks will begin leaking oil into the groundwater. Remediation can be extremely expensive, as all the contaminated soil needs to be dug up and disposed of according to regulations.

Here is the soil horizon. The oil spread through the gray shale rock down below the less pervious five foot layer of brown clay on top.

I of course wished there was a way to take advantage of the hole--perhaps lay pipes in it before refilling, to be used later on for geothermal heating of the house. But there was no time for such planning.

The photos above were taken two weeks ago. Here's what it looks like today, after all the contaminated soil has been hauled away and the hole filled with clean dirt. Fortunately, they were able to leave Veblen's walkway intact, and part of the garden bed with irises.

New Book on the Institute for Advanced Study

2011-02-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

A new "Images of America" book, the Institute for Advanced Study by Linda Arntzenius is now available at the Regulator Bookstore in Princeton.

Oswald Veblen (on the right) is included on the cover photo with Einstein. The book includes this text under a photo of the Veblens: "Veblen loved the outdoors and promoted a wooded site in Princeton Township for the institute. The 'wood-chopping professor' would lead groups of IAS members on brush-clearing expeditions in the woods."

Ways To Save The Veblen Farmstead

2011-01-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

Since happening upon the Veblen farmstead in March of 2007, I've been puzzling over how to save the famous mathematician's house and cottage. The 14 acre farmstead was added to the county-owned Princeton nature preserve, Herrontown Woods, in 1973 after Elizabeth Veblen died. The house was rented for several decades after that, but all the buildings have been boarded up for more more than ten years now. Given the neglect, it was clear from the beginning that only a strong vision could drive the investment needed to restore the buildings. In the process of exploring options and talking to people about the farmstead, I've met many people intrigued by the houses and the peaceful, wooded site.

Here's a list of the site's assets:

Veblen Farmstead as key destination: The farmstead is centrally located along a corridor of preserved open space that includes the River Road property, Autumn Hill Reservation, and Herrontown Woods. Efforts are well along to extend this ribbon of preserved greenspace westward all the way to Bunn Drive and beyond. By creating a destination to help draw people out to the area, investment in this centrally located infrastructure will enhance public usage of an extraordinary ribbon of greenspace.
Proximity to Smoyer Park: Any activities developed at the farmstead, such as summer camps, would benefit from the proximity not only to hundreds of acres of greenspace but also to the facilities at township-owned Smoyer Park. Developing complementary missions will enhance the usefulness of both facilities to Princeton.
Preserving Princeton's Heritage: Two traditions come together at the Veblen Farmstead--the micro-farming that was common in the Herrontown area of eastern Princeton early in the 20th century, and the movement of European intelligencia to Princeton in the 20s and 30s. Einstein was a close friend of Veblen's, and a frequent visitor. The "house in the middle of the woods" is also a European tradition, which Veblen's Scandinavian heritage speaks to. Elizabeth Veblen grew up in Yorkshire, England, and became a central figure in Princeton's social circles.

The following are some ideas that have been offered for taking advantage of all these assets, with much overlap among all the proposed uses:

A SUSTAINABILITY CENTER: The first idea was for a sustainability center, incorporating and demonstrating the many home and landscaping practices that come under the broad heading of sustainability. Off-the-grid living, low-maintenance landscaping, demonstrating home energy monitors, utilizing urban timber that currently gets ground into woodchips, fixing slightly broken items for reuse--these are some of the projects that could show how to shift towards lifestyles that will leave a healthy planet in our wake. Relevant to this cause, the phrase "conspicuous consumption" was coined by Veblen's uncle Thorstein in The Theory of the Leisure Class.

NATIVE EDIBLE PLANT CENTER: Another concept is for a little demonstration farm dedicated to growing edible plants native to America. Some, like corn, squash, beans and potatoes, have been mainstreamed in our diets. Others, like ground nut and sunchokes, have not as yet. This concept dovetails nicely with the farmstead's location at the edge of a nature preserve, where the proximity of the cultivated native food crops and the wild edibles would replicate an earlier time in agriculture when the distinction between wild and cultivated foods was more blurred. Some of the many edible wild plants growing in Princeton are wild rice, cattail, groundnut and black walnut.

MICROFARM: One great thing for kids is to have easy access to farm animals, the chance to see baby animals grow up, and to be able to learn about and help out with some of the tasks involved in raising plants and animals. Related to the first two ideas, a small farm would bring back the tradition of micro-farming that was common in the Herrontown area of eastern Princeton early in the 20th century, the last example of which was the Weller Farm, which became Smoyer Park in 2001. An important element would be community outreach, serving as a location for youth to participate in farming activities, and as a source of knowledge that Princeton residents could put to use on their own "miniature farms", be it a garden or a backyard chicken coop or orchard.
Though it's unlikely that much of the farmstead could be cleared for farming, two neighbors who border the farmstead have an interest in farming their properties. One already has chickens; the other grows two head of cattle each summer. The farm would then be a cooperative venture, utilizing the facilities of all three properties, including an existing pond, horse stable and meeting room.

PI FARM: This is a fun nickname for a farm for both mind and body, where the intellects of great figures like Einstein and Veblen are celebrated alongside the growing of all the sorts of things that can be served in a pie. Just about anything grown on a farm, be it fruits, vegetables or meats, can end up in a pie, or variations on the pie, like an empanada. Raised beds arranged in the shape of pies will make this farm recognizable from the air. The pi symbol also looks a lot like a house, so alludes as well to shelter and sustainability. The house even appears to have once had pie-shaped windows in the attic. A Pi Farm would explore the relationship between mathematics and various aspects of architecture, carpentry and farming.

Reminiscences of a Friend and Neighbor of Elizabeth Veblen's

2010-12-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

As chance would have it, a woman who knew Elizabeth Veblen lives three doors up from me. I was told about her by a former tenant of the Veblen House, and was finally able to meet with her this past July to learn something of her memories of the Veblens. She wishes to remain anonymous, but I can say that she is a painter, 81 years old, and once lived in the Herrontown area not far from the Veblens. Elizabeth would have her over for tea sometimes. They shared a common origin--Yorkshire, England. One or both of them were specifically from Halifax, in West Yorkshire.

Here are my notes, with question marks where there is some uncertainty about what was said or known. Some useful chronology: The Veblens bought the house in 1941. Oswald lived until 1960, Elizabeth until 1974.

General memories about the Veblens:

Elizabeth met Oswald Veblen in Germany (?)
The Veblens arrived in Princeton before there were any cars, and would go into town on a horse and carriage.
The Veblen House was a weekend retreat. The Veblens had a busy social life while Oswald was alive.
Woodrow Wilson and his wife would come for tea by horse and carriage.

Memories particular to her visits with Elizabeth:

Elizabeth had a maid who made tea. Elizabeth would have a fire burning, and they'd sit in comfortable chairs near the fire in the living room.
Elizabeth gave her (the neighbor's) 2 year old daughter a dress.
She describes Elizabeth as unprepossessing, down to earth, direct, straightforward, not fancy, very pleasant.

Biographical Information About Oswald Veblen

2010-11-23T03:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a link sent to me by a friend, compiling biographical information about Oswald Veblen (1880-1960), including his birthplace, publications, some correspondence, and obituary.

Veblen Designed the Old Fine Hall

2010-11-23T03:40:00.000-08:00

This from page 50 of A Beautiful Mind, the book about John Nash:

"Designed by Oswald Veblen, a nephew of the great sociologist Thorstein Veblen, it was meant to be a sanctuary that mathematicians would be "loath to leave.""

And from a page on the Princeton University website:

"Veblen was instrumental both in envisioning the Institute before the circumstances led to its creation as well as in the design of Fine Hall and in the initial selection of members for the Institute."

"In the 1930s, a remarkable mathematical community was born in a building built specifically to house such an unusual community: Fine Hall at Princeton University (now Jones Hall, reverting to the donors' names with the construction of the new Fine Hall and Jadwin Physics complex in 1970). The Mathematics Department of Princeton University, then emerging as a world class center for mathematics, shared its new quarters with the Department of Mathematics of the Institute for Advanced Study for six years while the latter's facilities (Fuld Hall) were planned and constructed nearby. During this period, the beginning of which saw the arrival from Europe of Einstein and Gödel, Fine Hall served as a mathematical club in which graduate students, faculty, Institute members, and many visitors mingled together in an atmosphere of exchange, including close ties with the adjoining Palmer Hall and its physics community, including some joint members of both the math and physics departments."

The old Fine Hall is located next to the Frist Center on campus.

Laying Plastic in the Crawlspace

2010-07-01T10:28:00.001-07:00

This is the walkway that Einstein walked on his way to visit his friend and colleague, Oswald Veblen, who lived here with his wife Elizabeth. When Elizabeth died in 1972, she donated the farmstead to Mercer County. The Veblens had previously donated the land known as Herrontown Woods to the county, and their desire was to see the house and cottage be turned into a nature center.

Local arborist Bob Wells lived in the house for some 25 years, and raised his family there. But after Bob moved out, the house was left boarded up and empty. Vandalism and neglect have taken their toll, but people have come forward of late to help stabilize its condition and find a new use for the house and farmstead.

The first step is to dry out the basement, which means improving drainage around the house. The copper roof gutters are long since gone, and downpours deposit great amounts of water next to the foundation.

This past weekend, Josh and Liz helped extend a ditch for carrying water away from the house.

Meanwhile, Madeline and I worked to spread black plastic over the dirt crawlspace, to serve as a vapor barrier and hopefully keep the floor joists a little drier. Not exactly glamorous work, but a little cooler than most activities in this fiercely hot weather.

The next step will be changing the contour of the ground around the house, so that runoff from all the land sloping towards the house can be routed away. That may take help from a county crew with a backhoe.

The Fix-It Club

2010-06-20T18:11:00.001-07:00

One idea relevant to the Veblen House is the Fix-It Club. The Fix-It Club concept involves rescuing stuff headed for the landfill that deserves a second life. Participants bring stuff that can be easily repaired to a workshop, and share tools, knowledge and conversation while fixing the stuff up.

On June 17, we had our first Fix-It Club meeting in my garage. Here is the "diagnostic center"--a solid oak table I rescued from the curb that's in need of a bit of glue. In the meantime, it's a handy surface for setting tools, abandoned A/C units, lamps and what have you. A Kill-a-Watt meter allowed us to measure energy use of the various items.

A couple hours of light work, expedited in particular by my neighbor Mark, who has insight into electronics, expanded our inventory of functional items to two microwaves, a mini-frig, two computer monitors and two lamps. A couple fans also turned out to work just fine, but still need cleaning. Liz and Jill came by to help out.

There is, of course, the question of how to find these items new homes. But the front side of the project--the rescuing and repairing--turns out to be straightforward and rewarding.

The Veblen House and Farmstead

2010-06-16T04:43:00.000-07:00

Seeing as this is a website about efforts to restore the Veblen House and develop a vision for the farmstead, it might be a good idea to actually include a photo of the Veblen House. Here it is from the side, in all its boarded up glory. Though the house has not been occupied for eleven years, and shows it, the European touches are still visible in the stair railing and in the woodwork inside.

Next to the house is a horse run--essentially a very well-built circular wall in which horses were once exercised. Andrew Thornton is in the process of removing the wisteria that has run rampant over this area. Beyond the horse run is the footprint where a large barn once stood, now grown up in trees.

In the absence of human occupation, nature has moved in. Though the flash on my camera makes them look like exhibits in a museum, these are a couple of the flying squirrels found living in the small barn a month ago.

In the Beginning, There Was Drainage

2010-06-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, some progress at Veblen House. Andrew and I first installed a better ladder for accessing the basement. In keeping with the sustainability theme of the project, the ladder was rescued from the curb and is being given a second life.

The situation in the basement is something of an emergency. The floor joists are dripping wet from the humidity. One can see where runoff from outside flowed in through a vent, most likely from roof runoff that falls next to the foundation for lack of gutters.

In an email, architect friend Heidi recommended covering the bare dirt in the crawlspace with plastic. I've also put in a request to the county for roof gutters (the old copper ones long ago disappeared, probably stolen for their metal). In the meantime, it will be necessary to cover the ground next to the foundation with plastic so that the water pouring off the room during heavy rains can flow away from the house.

The step taken on Sunday was to dig the beginnings of a ditch to carry water away, so that at least it will not flow into the basement.

One idea Andrew had for the open field next to the Veblen House is a community garden. We visited the existing one nearby at the township's Smoyer Park, which may or may not be maxed out.

The Veblen Cottage and Barn

2010-03-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

Located towards the edge of Herrontown Woods--a 100+ acre nature preserved donated to Mercer County by the Veblens, the Veblen farmstead includes a house, cottage, small barn and corn crib. Shown here is the cottage and, in the distance, the small barn. The two-story section of the cottage, and the barn, appear to be structurally solid, due to intact roofs. The floor joists of the cottage are a question mark, and will require an inspection of the basement.

Veblen used this cottage as his study. It dates back to the 1860s.

Veblen's Grandfather's House a National Landmark

2010-03-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Oswald Veblen comes from a prominent family. His uncle was Thorstein Veblen, an internationally renowned economist and author of "The Theory of the Leisure Class." For those of us entertaining the idea of turning the Veblen farmstead into a sustainability center, it's interesting to learn that Thorstein Veblen coined the phrase "conspicuous consumption."

The home of Thomas and Kari Veblen (Oswald's grandfather), located in rural Rice County in southeastern Minnesota, went through a similar eleven year period of abandonment and decline before steps were taken to restore it. Now a national landmark, more information can be found at http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/shpo/veblen.html, the website from which this photo was borrowed.