From the Editor-In-Chief, Fall 2025

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the Fall issue of Princeton Magazine. Although I have been a writer and editor for the magazine since 2017, I am excited to be writing my first letter as Editor-in-Chief.

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year, with the crisp air and bustle of excitement in town with the return of school and University students and a plethora of activities and events. Fall also brings Halloween, which this year features the long-awaited reopening of the Princeton University Art Museum. Our cover story by Anne Levin looks at the big project that began in 2020 of rebuilding and reimagining the museum in the heart of the campus, which now features 80,000 square feet of gallery space in a 146,000-square-foot building, double the size of its predecessor. Museum Director James Steward provides insights on its progression, what is new, and its design.

Speaking of design, architect J. Robert (Bob) Hillier, Princeton Magazine Publisher, has designed and built a carbon neutral home on Lake Carnegie. Ilene Dube writes about the spectacular home and its modern, environmentally friendly features, along with some sentimental furnishings and décor including a Nakashima table and chairs that belonged to his mother, a vintage pool table, and “Gustave,” a knight in shining armor that greets guests in the front entry. You might learn a little more about Bob and his late wife, Barbara, as well.

The design theme continues with Stuart Mitchner’s Book Scene that delves into beautiful tomes about architectural works of art in “Remembering Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh and Gaudi’s Barcelona While Looking Forward to Princeton’s ‘Wonder, Wonder’ Art Museum.” The covers themselves are works of art.

Many might not know about Royal Hill Rose and the Rose Collection at the Historical Society of Princeton. Rose opened a photography business on Nassau Street in 1873, and he and his descendants took photographs that documented life in Princeton through the mid-20th century. The historical society is now the caretaker of 10,000 glass plate negatives, and Wendy Greenberg writes about those as well as the Rose family and the many portraits, building photographs, and others in the collection that captured town life during that period.

Moving from photographs to film, Donald H. Sanborn III explores Love and Communication, a film by playwright, screenwriter, director, and Princeton resident James Christy Jr. based on his family’s experience of raising a child with autism. It was presented at the Princeton Garden Theatre in 2023 and is now available for streaming. The film takes a frank look at a couple that is trying to navigate their child’s autism diagnosis while struggling between themselves to agree on the best treatment for him. The article also looks at the process of adapting the work, which began as a play, into a film.

Moving on to music, Lori Goldstein tells us about Sō Percussion, the Grammy Award-winning quartet that is celebrating its 25th anniversary. They have been Princeton University’s Artists-in-Residence since 2014, and run SōSi, the Sō Percussion Summer Institute, a two-week festival in July for percussion and composition students that has yielded more than 375 alumni since it began in 2009. The members of Sō Percussion — Jason Treuting, Adam Sliwinski, John Quillan, and Eric Cha-Beach — are marking their anniversary with an eight-CD set of completely new material from 25 composers, along with a recent concert at Richardson Auditorium among other appearances.

It’s been said that one out of three American adults report not getting the recommended seven hours of sleep. As daylight saving time ends this fall, Sarah Teo looks at Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, or CBT-I. She notes that according to an article published in The Guardian last September, data supporting the effectiveness of CBT-I has been around for about 30 years, and clinical trials suggest that 70-80 percent of people with chronic insomnia who try the therapy end up with improved sleep. She interviews Dr. Amoha Bajaj of Princeton Psychotherapy Center to see how CBT-I can help provide consistent, quality sleep.

Sarah’s Well-Designed Life pages feature thoughtfully curated items, mostly from local sources.

It’s time for refreshment, and Mary Abitanto takes us on a tour of some of her favorite Princeton bar/restaurants, along with a few outliers, with a focus on hospitality. I must say that I have been to every one of them, and each has their own ambiance, charm, history, and of course delicious food and drinks. Cheers and Bon Appétit!

Bob Hillier and I, along with the entire talented team at Witherspoon Media Group, hope that you enjoy this issue and have a wonderful fall. We also hope that you will “Shop Local,” especially with our advertisers.

Respectfully Yours,