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4 comments

Trenton(ish) Architecture

2010
05.27
Trenton Bath House

The Trenton Bath House back in the day

So a lot of you may think Trenton doesn’t have a lot to offer in the way of famous architecture, but did you know that Louis Khan, one of the more famous architects in the mid 20th century designed the Trenton Bath House?  While not actually in Trenton, but Trenton-adjacent – and not really a bath house, but a changing area and service pavilion for a community pool, the project gained national recognition over time and has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places sine 1984.

I found this nice quote from the architect…

Louis I. Kahn said, “I discovered myself after designing that little concrete block bathhouse in Trenton.”  Famous for larger projects like the Kimbell Art Museum, this quote illustrates that this legend of an architect felt he owes a lot to the ideas he initially fleshed out in New Jersey.

Model of the building

A model of the building

After years of neglect, the Trenton Bath House is currently undergoing a huge renovation (read about the renovation here), so it’s not much to look at right now, but when it’s complete, I strongly encourage you to go see this somewhat inconspicuous building.  You may be surprised by what looks like a little concrete box.

For more information – google it

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 27th, 2010 at 2:00 PM and is filed under things to see. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • DONNA

    Very Interesting! There are a number of beautiful old buildings in Trenton witha story to tell!

  • Monique

    I agree that Trenton does have a rich architectural history. I wonder though why it was called the Trenton Bath House. Was it built in a time before Ewing was it’s own township and was the house actually in Trenton then?

    • http://architectblog.org Brian V

      It's not at a house, it's at what is now the Ewing Community Center (formerly the Jewish Community Center). I think it's the Trenton Bath House because who would know where Ewing is if it was called the Ewing Bath House. Say what you will about Trenton, we at least have name recognition!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/architectblog Brian V

    Here's the link right to the building's own website: http://www.kahntrentonbathhouse.org/