An invitation to explore a historically significant house built in the early 1700s.
I recently had an opportunity to capture the beautiful light, materials, and soul of the Jedediah Higgins House, a Franklin Township Historical Preserved Site on Route 27 in Kingston, NJ, though many consider it extended Princeton. I knew of the house as the home of Onesen (Onesen for All) and many elements of their effects on the house (renovations, upgrades, spa, rooms) are clear in this collection of images. The next mission of this home will be one of helping people to recover from substance abuse, and in light of that, I tried to capture what someone living through that ordeal might meet and gain peace from.
It should be noted that the images are available for viewing at full size by clicking on any of them, at which point you can navigate through them by clicking to the right or left.
Also, it bears repeating that theses images are licensed under a creative-commons attribution (cc-by) license. This means essentially, you can use the photos as you wish, for any purpose, even commercial, as long as you cite me in credits for the photo work as cc-by lemasney.
In preparing for this essay, I did some research on the history of the house and Jedediah himself.
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Exterior, East facade, cc-by lemasney
The house was built between 1702 and 1714. Some suggest 1709-10, others 1714.
“The house was built somewhere around 1714, most likely funded by the construction of another important structure in South Brunswick and Franklin, the Rockingham house.”
Onesen’s renovation took three years to complete, preserved the history and beauty of the house, and included spa and other relaxation-service amenities. The site was part of a 1,000 acre purchase between 1705 and 1709, on the west side of the Assunpink trail from the Lenape for a sow and 8 piglets. The Lenape had recently developed a love for the taste of pork. It stretches from Raymond Road in South Brunswick to what is now route 518, and included Rockingham, Washington’s headquarters. The family burial ground is across the street and
“Jedediah and his wife Hanna are buried along with other family members. The stones have fallen and only two stand tall now, most are now unreadable or broken. Jedediah died in 1772 at 82 years of age and his wife Hanna died in 1779 at 79 years of age.”
Sources: The History of Kingston’s Higgins House | South Brunswick, NJ Patch, http://goo.gl/0MaiQg , History of the Village of Kingston, ,Franklin Township Historic Preservation Advisory Commission Minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting January 9, 2013
As I first walked around the house, I noticed its relationship with nature. The contrast of the red against the sky, the hard protrusions that jutted into the clouds, and strong angular lines everywhere. It argues with the space around itself, justifying itself, and pleading for understanding. This was my first feeling:
The house is loving and tragic and desperate to stand, to be understood and heard, hopefully forever.
The explosions of bright green leaf-branches from nearby trees and bamboo are polar color-wheel opposites with the growling, deep red.
The exterior of the house is imposing, solemn, and sobering. The structures seem colonial, but the fanciful touches, such as the supporting decor and pillars are clearly additional. The first thing that I noted was that it did not seem like there was a perfectly straight line in the structure anywhere. Not that the walls are way off, but they are not perfect, nor should they be. The square has flaws as you do. The walls are uneven, as we are. It is imperfect, and it matches and reflects our imperfections. The other thing that becomes quickly clear is the reflection of the natural surroundings and the structure itself. Aside from necessary additions, such as exit signs or ingress/egress considerations, the layout and charm of the original structure are present. The deep red shingles of the exterior shout love and passion and care. The white details and trim whisper solidity, calm, and experience. The stone, wood, and metal all sing a harmony about what lies inside.
The Buddha and the Lotus
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Given the mindfulness, massage, and spa nature of the previous occupants (though I did not feel as though they had left, as their impact was clear and longstanding) it makes sense that some installations might remain from that time. Two of these stand out for me: The Buddha in the foyer, and the lotus metal wall relief in a meditation room. The Buddha is essentially a bust, about 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, and has light and water features I thought were better left unused. The Buddha here is kind, understanding, and guiding, and will hopefully continue to serve those in need. The lotus is stark, linear, graphic, and cut. The methods used to produce it, probably a CNC or patient metal worker, seemed to fit with the rough-hewn beams and structural juts.
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Jedediah Higgins House, Princeton, NJ, Interior, Buddha and lotus wall piece, cc-by lemasney
Another thing I came away with was that I often ended up in places where the question being posed was:
“You are here, and there is where you want to be. Now, how do you get there?”
The places in which this question came up were at pathways, doors, windows, and gates. It seemed that they permeated the entire structure, always asking that same question. You will see the same idea in different ways in the essay sections below on stairs and bamboo.
I feel as though the inhabitants of the space, if suffering through change of body, mind, or need, will be constantly reminded of what is at stake. The house says:
“You are in this place. This place that you can see through the barrier is what you can have. Simply remove the barrier, and it is yours. Use whatever creative means necessary to do so.”
These barrier elements throughout the house feel like a reminder of the journey that is possible to undergo here.
The bamboo grove is an amazingly rich experience. The leaves envelope you, hold you. You can see the sun through the canopy, but it is cool, dark, and soothing. The bamboo is probably also a development from the Onesen renovations. It is gloriously wild, present, and bright.
The trees surrounding the house are immense, imposing; their shadows obviously long-time caretakers of the space. As you look up at the house, you can barely help yourself from looking through the glorious outstretched canopy far above. Throughout the property, many other smaller trees exist, including small junipers crying out for bonsai work.
Jedediah Higgins House, Kingston, NJ, Featured details, cc-by lemasney
Onesen definitely had an impact on the structure of the close exterior grounds. An outdoor spa, bamboo grove, and other structures make up the courtyard. The result is stunning, and while also peaceful and calming, a wildly different mood from the interior.
The inside of the house is cavernous and labyrinthine. For someone who is searching themselves, the space provides a physical maze to match that internal experience. Each turn of the corner leads to a surprise in light or wood or stone. One thing that especially caught my eye was the reflection of sunlight combined with the casting of sunlight. The two lights illuminate differently and emote separately. If we are lucky, we see ourselves in these reflections.
The light in the house is vibrant, reassuring, and emotion-laden. Whether the somber wall light installation with low illumination, or the bright sunlight washing the floor at 4 pm, the light is a force in the space.
The rooms are large, beautifully structured, and solemn. They would be inviting to a mind that was working through chaos and upset. The rooms speak of secrets and darkness and seem to hold a deeply human pain. Being in the space reminds you of your insignificance, as if you were standing underneath the night sky.
There are a few rooms upstairs that have fabric resembling loose-leaf paper covering the walls. The texture and application are amazing, and I look forward to researching the technique. I tried to capture the simultaneous invitation to touch and the repulsion of the texture. You consistently find rough-hewn wood as structure peeking out of the plaster, and you are sure the most powerful pain from splinters awaits you. The bricks throughout the space ask you to be careful and avoid scrapes. These are a little reminder from the room:
You want to touch me, but you should not. I am for seeing and recognizing, but not partaking in. Stay steady, move slowly, and keep to yourself.
A powerful message for someone looking for peace in themselves, and not peace from external objects.
I was astounded by the symbology and soaring nature of the stairs in the space. The struggle and climb leading to uncertainty. Is this even the way I want to go? What will I get at the top or bottom of the stairs? There are hints of great revelations at the clearings, but a winding and steep path before we get there. The barriers we saw earlier are also present here, in the deepest centers of the house, connecting floors, and asking for effort in order for someone to get where they want or need to go.
Favorite Highlights and Details
Finally, I want to leave you with what I think are twenty iconic images that represent my feelings about the space. Dark, peaceful, spellbinding, rich, loving, imposing, zen.
This house cares for you in and of itself. It loves you unconditionally, even when you do not love yourself. It embraces you and holds you against your protests until you stop sobbing.
My name is John LeMasney. I want to thank the owners of the Higgins house for the opportunity to shoot. In the event that you know of a space that you love and would like to see explored in this way, please contact me at lemasney@gmail.com or 609 553 9498. Or, feel free to use the contact form below!
LeMasney Consulting – Let’s do something great together.
“While I encourage you to experiment with your own sketches, the preloaded MintySynth software can provide many hours of fun with no need for programming or a music background. It’s a 4-voice, 16-step wavetable sequencer (8 bit, 20 Khz) based on the “Illutron” Synth library by DZl of Evil Genius Lair. You can set the voice for four different instruments and program 16-note loops (“songs”) using all four instruments. There’s control of tempo and “swing”, and you can select any key and choose from several different scales (modes). Once you’ve created a song you can enter “Live Mode”, where you can change the pitch and voice of one of the instruments in real time so you can “jam” along with the other three instruments. You can save up to four 16-note songs and then reload them individually or loop them consecutively, creating songs of up to 64 notes.” – MintySynth.com, http://goo.gl/GYKMqr
Open source and free do not mean the same thing at all cc-by lemasney
LeMasney Consulting Logo
A Primer: 11 Questions about Open Source (answered)
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Rich Kazimir on Technology Today on WDVR on the topic of open source. He asked me variations on the following questions.
What exactly is ‘open source’? What criteria applies ?
Let’s focus first on software. What is open source software? What are some examples?
What are some pros and cons of the philosophy?
What is Mozilla?
How did the movement get started?
Who contributes to open source products? How do they continue to exist if they resulting products are free?
What are some other open source products?
Do you have any idea how many open source software products are out there?
Is ‘shareware’ the same as ‘open source’? Is ‘freemium’ the same as ‘open source’?
What other industry areas have embraced an ‘open source’ approach, or at least started to?
What is the future of ‘open source’ as you see it?
Here is the audio from that broadcast.
Some background on WDVR
“WDVR FM hit the air waves on February 19, 1990 as a newly established, Non-Commercial Station. It is licensed to Penn-Jersey Educational Radio, a New Jersey, 501 (c) (3), Non-Profit Corporation. Its mission is to provide high quality, Non-Commercial Educational Radio service to the Delaware and Lehigh Valley area of Western New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. WDVR provides a uniquely diversified format of music and talk, utilizing a staff of over 50 unpaid volunteers, each with his or her own specialized expertise in music and/or talk–“50 colorful gems creating a beautiful audio mosaic”. WDVR is a full-service FM station operating 24 hours a day at 89.7 Mhz from Delaware Township, NJ and at 90.5 WPNJ in Easton, PA. It also utilizes a translator on 96.9 Mhz in Trenton, NJ, serving the Lawrenceville, Princeton, Trenton area and points south. On the internet WDVR can be heard streaming live on www.wdvrfm.org . WDVR is a listener supported community oriented station, offering radio programming which is always suitable for the entire family.” – WDVR FM 89.7 91.9,
Lib20: Media Specialist Symposium at Stockton University
I am very excited to have been asked to present the keynote and other presentations at Lib2.0 2015: A Media Specialist Symposium, in October 2015 at Stockton University (http://www.ettc.net/lib20/). At the event, I have been asked to talk about the following topics. Details for each session are below. If you are interested in having these topics delivered at your staff day training, conference, ot other speaking opportunity, please contact me at 609 553 9498 or john@lemasney.com
The aim of organizational branding efforts is to make these three ideas merge:
We are presenting a brand of some kind now (active or passive, intended or unintended) that we hope creates a positive, accurate perception by our stakeholders.
We have stakeholders that perceive our brand in some way, and we must discover what that perception is, even if it is not positive or correct.
We can do actions, enforce policies, and check stakeholder perceptions to align our brand with our intended perceptions, the very intent of branding. We are doing these things to underline and reinforce what we are, and our patrons and other stakeholders understand and agree.
Come and learn about your library’s brand, and what can be done to improve or maintain it.
Social Media For Librarians and Media Specialists
We’re in what is referred to as the third wave of Social Media: The first wave was one in which people got Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus, Hoot suite, and other social media accounts to connect with others socially and casually. The second wave was one in which organizations discovered that everyone was on these services and that they should probably be there too to take part in the conversation, without necessarily knowing what that might look like, what their intent was, or what to expect about outcomes. Now, organizations are starting to make sense of how those social media accounts can help them to engage stakeholders differently than they do in person, track and make sense of visits, interactions, and connections and how that affects the rest of their work, and develop plans for success in social media in similar ways to the way that they developed their strategic plans. Come and learn how to make the most out of your social media efforts, how to decide if what you are doing is what you should be doing, and to discover what success looks like in social media outcomes.
Infographics and Visual Literacy for School Libraries
There is a trend in social media towards the visual. Images, videos and graphics get the most attention and lead more people to your other content. Social media platforms like Pinterest have grown powerful in a short period and reflect and strengthen the trend. The issue: while many of us are visual learners, not everyone considers themselves a visual creator, and so participation in the trend often is limited to simply sharing others’ images. In this session, we discover new tools that will help you to develop a beautiful visual representation of your ideas without having to become a certified graphic designer, photographer or visual communicator (even though you are likely doing those things already without much help or guidance). Learn how to create and find great images that support your ideas.
Creating Sharable Content for Libraries
In this session, John LeMasney will share 10 key ideas to consider when creating sharable content. What makes an article, image, idea, quote or other media particularly sharable? What technologies and methods can help you to give an interesting idea the best chance of being shared? How can copyright be honored and original sources be found? Why is there such emphasis now about sharing visual media over other forms? Join us for this session to help us find the answers!
Google Cloud-Based Services for Libraries
Learn how libraries can use Google’s free suite of office, productivity, organization, and life tools to improve communications and increase visibility in your community. We’ll discuss what can happen when library staff, administrators, and patrons use Google Drive, Hangouts, Maps, Calendar, Gmail, and Google Plus to advertise, communicate, and share information more effectively.
Top Ten Transliteracies for School Libraries
Transliteracy is the ability for a communicator to flexibly use a variety of methods to communicate their ideas more fully. This skill is an increasingly important one. Communicators who embrace photography, audio editing, coding, graphic design, video editing, can speak to a broader audience more easily. Let’s look at ways in which libraries can embrace, learn and take advantage of these literacies to communicate more effectively with their communities of service and practice.
The Story of the 2015 Princeton Parklet Maple Seeds
The Maple Seed sculptures at the Princeton Parklet. (60″x20″, birch plywood and glass with LEDs – Soderman, LeMasney, Brown, and Kuster)
Princeton Parklet Maple Seeds cc-by lemasney
The story of the maple seed hanging sculptures that are a part of the 2015 Princeton Parklet is a very interesting one, and I thought I’d share it as a way of thanking everyone involved in their creation. But first, some definitions.
belief is nothing but – david hume cc-by lemasney
What is a parklet?
“A parklet is a sidewalk extension that provides more space and amenities for people using the street. Usually parklets are installed on parking lanes and use several parking spaces. Parklets typically extend out from the sidewalk at the level of the sidewalk to the width of the adjacent parking space.”
“Numerical control (NC) is the automation of machine tools that are operated by precisely programmed commands encoded on a storage medium, as opposed to controlled manually via hand wheels or levers, or mechanically automated via cams alone. Most NC today is computer (or computerized) numerical control (CNC),[1] in which computers play an integral part of the control.”
I was teaching a class at Princeton Public Library on Branding, one of my favorite topics, and Peter happened to be in the audience. Afterwards, he came up and introduced himself, and promised he’d contact me about a project. I said that I’d love that and we ended up meeting for coffee to talk about the project, which happened to be the Princeton Parklet.
We walked around the city of Princeton and he showed me several of his pieces installed in restaurants and other places. He talked about the Quark Park project ), and I realized that I had followed his work for years, having visited and enjoyed that installation so much that we featured it on Technology and the Arts:
“This past fall, Princeton served as home for a venue called Quark Park that brought the idea of technology and art to life in an exciting way. Brought into existence by Kevin Wilkes, Alan Goodheart and Peter Soderman–and a host of corporate and civic donors who financed its construction, Quark Park opened in September 2006 and remained a free, public garden through the following November.”
– Why Technology & the Arts? | T&A: Technology and the Arts,
So when I put two and two together, I was in awe of who I was working with. I continue to be astounded that I have had the opportunity to work with this group of talented artists and craftsmen. So, after recovering from the realization, I agreed to work with Peter, and we met with the Arts Council to decide on our plan.
Working with Maria Evans and the Arts Council
Peter and I met with Maria Evans, who has a great story about the origins of the project:
“When the idea of a Parklet was first proposed, I had to search Google images to see what the word meant. I had a vague idea based on last fall’s ‘National Takeover a Parking Space Day’ that popped up in front of small world coffee on Witherspoon Street. Passersby were thrilled and seats were filled all day. But… it came down 12 hours later and like most public art, it left us all wanting more.”
– A Parklet? A Whatlet? | Arts Council of Princeton,
I had worked with Maria before to hang a show of 365Sketches at Princeton Public Library. This time we were working with Peter to make seeds, sculptures for the parklet. Peter produced a huge book of macro shots of seeds that we were flipping through, and we were closing in on the idea of using maple seeds, the helicopter wings that many people remember putting on their noses. The possibilities for design, the familiarity with the seeds, and the opportunity for visual linear activity made them perfect candidates. Special thanks to the township of Princeton and Mayor Liz Lempert for their dedication and support for the project. We agreed to move forward with the maple seeds. I made a few maquettes to work out the idea sculpturally.
maple seed models and maquettes cc-by lemasney
maple seed models and maquettes cc-by lemasney
maple seed models and maquettes cc-by lemasney
maple seed models and maquettes cc-by lemasney
Working in Inkscape for CNC cutting
My part in the project was the design and coördination of the pieces. Since I did not have access to a workshop or makerspace capable of these large pieces, we would need some help with cutting wood and working with other materials. But before that, we needed something to cut. So I jumped into Inkscape, grabbed a line art image of a maple seed, and traced it, then worked into it to make lines that would work with a CNC mill. This was the workspace of the design, then the final design for cutting:
maple seed heliciopter workspace cc-by lemasney
maple seed helicopter made in Inkscape cc-by lemasney
These were meant to be cut by Ned Brown, be about 5 feet tall, and have lights enclosed in a glass pocket blown by Robert Kuster, be finished and hung with the Princeton Parklet. So, this file went to Ned.
Working with Ned Brown and CadCode LLC.
I met Ned with Peter at Ned’s Country Cabinet Shop (aka CadCode, LLC) in Hillsboro. Outside of the shop is an amazing bus that he’s restoring, and I felt like I was in the right place. Given that he has a Weatherstation I figured that was an appropriate way to find out more about Ned’s Shop: http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KNJSKILL2
Ned Brown’s Flxible bus cc-by lemasney
Ned and I had a great introductory conversation about life, music, wood, and lots of other topics. We hit it off in a grand way. After Ned and I worked to change the SVG from Inkscape to be used in his CNC Mill with his CNC software used around the world called CadCode, we cut some tests, and with satisfaction, cut the rest. We used Birch plywood sheets, and the pieces are just under 5 feet tall.
Prototype maple seed for Princeton Parklet cc-by lemasney
Prototype maple seed for Princeton Parklet cc-by lemasney
Prototype maple seed for Princeton Parklet cc-by lemasney
Prototype maple seed for Princeton Parklet cc-by lemasney
After the seeds were cut, we brought them to Bob to discuss the glass elements.
Working with Robert Kuster
Robert Kuster is a phenomenon. He’s made a lot of the amazing glass installations you find in expensive lobbies and public spaces, and does work on par with Dale Chihuly, but here in New Jersey at Belle Mead Hot Glass along with some talented craftspeople. They make glass dance, as shown in this piece from their studio:
Belle Mead Hot Glass Hospitality Sconces (Copyright, Robert Kuster)
The fact that his work and my work are in the same piece still kind of amazes me. We talked about the concept, and I only asked that some red be added to the pocket in a drizzled fashion. His glass pockets, filled with LEDs, would fill the circle at the bottom of the seed, and when they were finished they looked like this:
Robert Kuster’s blown glass for the maple seeds cc-by lemasney
The pieces were then sanded and shellacked at Hot Glass Belle Mead, and Bob delivered and installed them shortly after. Bob appears in these shots.
Some shots of the finished, installed maple seeds at the Princeton Parklet are below. When we ask people what they are we get a variety of answers, but seldom maple seeds. We hear fish most often, followed by butterfly wings, and when they hear what they are, they see it and they get it with a gasp.
What’s next for the seeds project?
First up is a metal version of the maple seed that is a floor lamp, and so far we have the first cut, pictured below. Stay tuned to http://instagram.com/lemasney for further images of that project. Also, there are other seeds coming up: A sweetgum seed and a pinecone! Images below. All of the images in this post are cc-by lemasney on Instagram, so feel free to use them, some rights reserved.
