Another day, another bizarre story coming to us from none other than Rutgers University.
What appears to be fragments of human remains were discovered at a construction site of a former church where Rutgers is planning to build a mixed-use residence hall and learning community in Newark. The supposed remains were located on a portion of the lot once occupied by a church that closed in 1940.
The$70 million project is planned to include a 400-bed residence hall, retail stores, classrooms, and work spaces, according to Rutgers officials.
Statement issued by Peter T. Englot, senior vice chancellor for public affairs at Rutgers University-Newark, via NJ:
“Site preparation plans for the Honors Living-Learning Community that were filed with the State Historic Preservation Office, in keeping with state due-diligence measures, addressed the possibility of finding human remains at the site,” the University said in a statement. “Such remains have been found on a portion of the site that had been occupied by a church until it closed in 1940; the building was demolished 65 years ago.”
Englot said officials did not yet have enough information to provide specific details about the remains, which he described as fragments. The project was not being delayed because of the discovery, he said.
“We have just completed day three of a planned eight-day, due-diligence exploration approved by the State Historic Preservation Office,” Englot added in an email. “At the end of that eight-day period and after a full assessment of the site by our archaeologists, they will present us with their conclusions and proposed course of action.”
A team of archaeologists is investigating at the site, according to the University.
The planned project is considered “state-of-the-art” and expected to be a boost to Newark’s economy as the area undergoes revitalization.
