Princeton Kiosk Design Competition Names Winners, Reimagining A Downtown Landmark

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton's iconic downtown kiosks have a new look — at least on paper.

American Institue of Architects (AIA), New Jersey presented the winners of the Princeton Kiosk Design Competition to the Mayor and Council on Monday, capping a months-long effort to reimagine the bulletin board structures that have anchored Nassau Street since 1988.

The competition grew out of last year's Nassau Street Streetscape Project, which raised the possibility of removing the kiosks altogether. Princeton architect Joshua Zinder, a former AIA New Jersey president, reached out to Councilman David Cohen and municipal engineer Deanna Stockton to propose a design competition as an alternative.

"Sounds like you guys really could use a design competition," Cohen recalled Zinder telling him at the time. The council approved the competition in May 2025, accepting $10,000 in private donations to fund the prizes.

The competition opened May 30 and closed July 18. The top six entries were then displayed at the Princeton Public Library, where residents voted for a People's Choice Award. All entries will be on display at the Arts Council of Princeton on March 24, 25 and 26 in the theater space.

Professional Category

Studio Hillier took first place with "The Walk-Thru." Two firms tied for second: HDR Architecture with "The Vestige" and SPG Architects with "Princeton Kiosk 25." Corporate Design of America P.C. won the People's Choice Award for "The Pivot Point."

Student Category

Jonathan Chu and Jonathan Fenton of the New Jersey Institute of Technology took first place with "Revolve." NJIT students Sofia Kolta, Aisha Awad and Mahum Azim placed second with "Beacon Kiosk." Gregory DeStefano of Kean University was third with "Waypoint."

The winning design, if built, would be placed at the corner of Nassau Street and Vandeventer Avenue. The competition called for a structure no larger than 14 feet by 8 feet and no taller than 12 feet, incorporating at least 50 square feet of bulletin board space, a digital touch screen, solar lighting and QR code connectivity.

Zinder stressed that the competition does not obligate the municipality to act on any of the designs.

"This competition was intended to be an ideas competition only," he said. "The town may do nothing, pursue one of these designs, or do something else completely different."

The competition was sponsored by the Bank of Princeton and Roundview Capital.

Mayor Mark Freda praised the work on display.

"It's pretty amazing seeing all the different designs and all the thoughtfulness and creativity that went into them," he said.

Council President Michelle Pirone Lambros singled out the student submissions.

"Wonderful job, especially the students — it was really inspirational, the ideas that you had," she said.

Councilman Leighton Newlin said the competition was a model for how local government should solve problems.

"This is a great example of how you think outside of the box and how you build community," Newlin said.

The competition is part of AIA New Jersey's 125th anniversary year.

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