Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Anton “Tony” Nelessen is the undergraduate program director of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers. In 1973, he moved to New Brunswick to the Hiram Market area and later moved to King Street. His interview provides the perspective of a member of the community who has a background in urban design and city planning. When the New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco), New Brunswick Tomorrow (NBT) and Johnson & Johnson were redeveloping Hiram Market based on both a feasibility study conducted by the American Cities Corporation and new plans conceived of by I.M. Pei, Nelessen and others came up with an alternative plan, though it was not used. He delves into the issue of historic preservation and critiques the city’s redevelopment process. Nelessen traces the chronology of downtown redevelopment and discusses the impact on residential neighborhoods.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives is part of the Department of History at Rutgers University. Learn more at https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-redevelopment-oral-histories
Anton “Tony” Nelessen is the undergraduate program director of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers. In 1973, he moved to New Brunswick to the Hiram Market area and later moved to King Street. His interview provides the perspective of a member of the community who has a background in urban design and city planning. When the New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco), New Brunswick Tomorrow (NBT) and Johnson & Johnson were redeveloping Hiram Market based on both a feasibility study conducted by the American Cities Corporation and new plans conceived of by I.M. Pei, Nelessen and others came up with an alternative plan, though it was not used. He delves into the issue of historic preservation and critiques the city’s redevelopment process. Nelessen traces the chronology of downtown redevelopment and discusses the impact on residential neighborhoods.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives is part of the Department of History at Rutgers University. Learn more at https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-redevelopment-oral-histories
