Princeton Abbey was established as an expansion of the cemetery on the 75 Mapleton Road campus and includes the adaptive reuse of the historic chapel as a columbarium. Centrally located just north of Princeton, New Jersey, and sited on a slight rise overlooking Carnegie Lake, Princeton Abbey and Cemetery is a non-sectarian cemetery serving New Jersey as well as the metropolitan regions of New York and Philadelphia.

The Abbey and Cemetery are conceived as a sanctuary for reflection and remembrance—a place to mourn, to seek solace, and to celebrate life. As cremation has become increasingly common due to its space efficiency and environmental considerations, the project required a sensitive approach to memorialization that would respect both tradition and evolving practices.

Ford 3 was engaged to rethink how to introduce new mausoleum structures on the site in a manner sympathetic to the existing landscape and architecture, and to adapt the chapel for non-sectarian services and the interment of cremated remains. Within the chapel, we developed a traditional millwork-based niche system for individual urns, working carefully within the neo-Gothic architecture and extraordinary historic red oak millwork and wainscot paneling. Custom bronze enclosures were designed to integrate seamlessly within the existing panel system, honoring the craftsmanship of the Depression-era building while accommodating contemporary use.

This work reflects our ability to engage deeply with legacy buildings and culturally significant spaces, balancing reverence for history with thoughtful adaptation to present-day needs.