87 Library Place

Princeton, NJ 08540

Once a grand 19th-century brick mansion, this Gilded Age Princeton original has undergone an extraordinary metamorphosis at the hands of design visionary Bela Rossmann of Polo Design Build. Reimagined from top to bottom, the home is now a tour de force of 21st-century modernism layered over old-world craftsmanship. Rossmann's reworking doesn't erase the past, it enhances it. What was once formal is now fluid, and what was once historic is now timeless. Original woodwork is preserved alongside striking new elements like flat-panel walnut cabinetry, custom Italian lighting, and bold marble accents. In the redesigned kitchen, solid walnut drawers glide under striking quartz counters and a Sub-Zero suite anchors the space, while an 8-burner Wolf range presides beneath a sleek hood. A central hall with herringbone floors and timeless circular stairs with bespoke custom-designed 14 glass pendants beneath a leaded glass skylight gives way to a paneled library and den with hidden shelving and a bright, elegant dining room. The former ballroom now serves as a vaulted-ceiling great room, with multiple seating arrangements allowing the space to be comfortable for a small gathering or a grand entertainment space, that opens to two garden spaces, one featuring a brick courtyard with the other, redesigned gardens and lawn edged in clipped Hawthorne tree hedges. There are eight fireplaces and 14 separate climate zones, making comfort as customizable as the design. The primary suite is nothing short of a private wellness retreat, complete with two spa-like bathrooms, a marble-clad tub room, a shower room with an oversized shower controlled by an electronic keypad, heated floors, and a dressing room worthy of a fashion editorial. Four additional bedrooms include two guest suites and a pair of mirror-image bedrooms connected by a Jack-and-Jill bath. A sunny multipurpose room with exposed brick and skylights serves as this home's kick-back-and-relax space near a handy second staircase leading to an organized mudroom and the heated two-car garage. Every detail has been touched, yet the soul of this home remains intact. An impeccable vision and design executed to the Nth degree.