N.J. to start work on new $14 million visitor center for Washington Crossing State Park

New Jersey expects to start prep work this month on a new $14 million visitor center for Washington Crossing State Park that would be built into the landscape overlooking the Delaware River and feature a green roof and multipurpose theater.

The new visitor center, designed with the shape of a leaf as inspiration, will be in a location chosen to be closer to an overlook of the river into Pennsylvania. State officials have not announced plans for what will happen to the existing visitor center and museum, with its peeling exterior paint and displays dating to the Bicentennial in 1976.

The new center is one of the projects the state plans to complete for the U.S. Semiquincentennial, which will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 2026.

Washington Crossing State Park spans more than 3,500 acres of Mercer and Hunterdon Counties. The current visitor center and museum is about eight miles north of Trenton, and across the river from the village of Washington Crossing in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County.

The area was notable in colonial times because of a ferry crossing between New Jersey and Pennsylvania that dated to about 1700.

Gen. George Washington chose the location because he believed it would allow his troops to cross the river without detection. As Revolutionary War battled raged across New Jersey, Washington crossed his army safely in Pennsylvania toward the end of 1776, less than half a year after America had declared its independence.

By December, the British, which safely controlled New York, had abandoned their pursuit of the Continental Army and settled into winter quarters.

Washington looked to launch a surprise attack the day after Christmas at Trenton, where the British had a garrison of 1,400 Hessian mercenaries from Germany. The attack presented severe logistical problems as Washington sought to cross three divisions of the Continental Army and land at three separate locations.

About 6 p.m. Christmas Day, 2,400 men began crossing in Durham boats developed to carry iron ore. A storm and icy river made the crossing treacherous. Artillery and horses were put on ferries. Two of the crossings failed because conditions were so poor. But Washington and his troops succeeded, as depicted in the famous painting by Emanuel Leutze.

At 4 the next morning, Washington’s Army marched toward Trenton, catching the Hessians off guard and forcing 900 of them to surrender. The victory was a tremendous boost to American forces, which had been stung by a series of defeats.

The sprawling park that commemorates the attack draws about 444,373 visitors last year.

Caryn Shinske, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the state park service, said the current building has “outlived its useful life, and historic collections have outgrown the available exhibit space.”

Ikon 5 Architects of New York designed the new center with input from state staff, Shinske said. State officials took comments from the public and met with the Washington Crossing Park Association, Swan Foundation and the Historic Sites Council. Staff was also consulted with at other Revolutionary War historic sites such as Yorktown, Mount Vernon, and the Museum of the American Revolution.

The nonprofits Crossroads of the American Revolution and American Battlefield Trust supported the design and new location of the center.

The main funding comes from the state’s constitutionally dedicated Corporate Business Tax revenue. Additional money, directed under the administration of Gov. Phil Murphy, came from the American Rescue Plan for projects in support of the Semiquincentennial.

Workers will begin preparing the new site this month. Once the new visitor center is built, the existing center will be closed and its contents moved to the new building.

Construction bids for the new center are due March 26, 2024.

Officials say a highlight of the new center will be the Crossing Theater, described as “an immersive experience where visitors will stand on a ferry boat with video reenactment of the crossing of the Delaware River playing on the exhibit walls.” The new center will include a separate 125-seat multipurpose theater, a gallery for temporary exhibits, a welcome lobby and a covered outdoor terrace.