THE OPPORTUNITY

The Magill Organization sought to develop an urban lot into affordable housing to assist the City of Elizabeth with its housing needs. The lot is the former site of the Price-Brittan House, the home of a wealthy family during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

THE CHALLENGES

The development property lies within a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its importance in the early history of Elizabeth. In order to receive project funding from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the project sponsor needed to ascertain whether a significant archaeological site reflecting the early history of Elizabeth existed on the property.

THE PS&S SOLUTION

PS&S developed an archaeological excavation strategy to identify subsurface architectural remnants and to recover artifacts potentially associated with the occupants of the Price-Brittan House. While foundation remains which helped to answer some questions posed by the architectural historians who originally nominated the house for the National Register of Historic Places were found, PS&S determined that the archaeological deposits associated with the foundation were of very limited significance and opined that the project would have no effect on the historic district’s cultural and historical integrity. The New Jersey Historic Preservation Office promptly agreed with this assessment, allowing Magill to proceed unencumbered.

DISCIPLINES INVOLVED

CULTURAL RESOURCES