Princeton University. Dept. of Buildings and Grounds.

The responsibility for supervising the construction and maintenance of new and existing buildings originally fell within the provenance of the financial officers of the College of New Jersey and the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees, which organized an ad hoc committee for each new project. It was not until 1865 that the Trustees created the Standing Committee on Real Estate to oversee the development of new structures on campus. This became the Committee on Grounds and Buildings in 1876. The chairpersons of that committee have been:

Within the administration, the position of Curator of Grounds and Buildings was separated from that of Treasurer in 1901. The incumbent of the office was James MacNaughton Thompson, who held that position from 1901 until 1904. He was succeeded by Henry Conrad Bunn (1904-1910) and Alfred Buelt Mullett Hoffman (1910 - 1912). In 1912, the title was changed to Superintendent of Grounds and Buildings. The following people have held this office:

Beginning in 1912, duties were divided between the Superintendent and the new Secretary of Business Administration, George Wintringer. He served as Secretary of the Department of Business Administration from 1912 until 1921, and Controller from 1921 until 1941. In that year, Edward MacMillan assumed the entire management of the Physical Plant.

In 1965, Robert Johnstone became General Manager of the Division of Property and Physical Facilities. He reported to the Financial Vice-President of the University. He hired John P. Moran, an architectural engineer, as his assistant. Moran replaced Johnstone in 1967 and became the General Manager of Planning, Plant and Property. He was later promoted to Vice-President for Facilities and in 1974, the name of the office was changed to the Office of Facilities. C. Harrison Hill assumed Moran's position as assistant in 1967, and in 1969, he was succeeded by Jon Hlafter. Hlafter, in turn, became director of physical planning in 1986.

Since 1907, the University also employed the services of a consulting or supervising architect. The first of these, Ralph Adams Cram, was responsible for developing the first long-term master plan for the expansion of the campus. The following people have served in this capacity:

This position, under Belluschi and Warner, was modified into one in which the architect provided advice to Trustees and administrators, but was not in charge of day-to-day planning.

From the guide to the Department of Grounds and Buildings Technical Correspondence Records, 1866-1988, 1930s-1940s, (Princeton University. Library. Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections)