There was a time in history when Trenton’s industrial might reshaped the nation and the world. No one has chronicled this time period better than Clifford Zink, author of “The Roebling Legacy” and expert on the revolutionary steel rope business that made its home in Trenton. But with all that in the past, how does Trenton forge a path in the future?
Zink’s studies of Trenton did not end with the de-industrialization of the city. Today Zink is studying Trenton as a post-industrial city and the transitions underway there and in the rest of the nation. He sees multiple opportunities to improve life in the city.
Zink will speak on “Trenton Today: Challenges, Transitions, and Opportunities” at the Princeton Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, October 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Nassau Club. Tickets are $40, $25 for members. For more information, visit www.princetonchamber.org.
Zink is a historic preservation consultant based in Princeton, and a historian specializing in architectural, industrial, engineering, and landscape history. He received a M.S. in historic preservation from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.
After writing a graduate school paper on the urban revitalization potential in the Roebling complex, he was appointed executive director of the non-profit Trenton Roebling Community Development Corporation. He served in that role until 1997. He worked on numerous projects there, including the Roebling Redevelopment.
He has served as consulting curator at the Roebling Museum, and wrote and directed its orientation film, Roebling Stories. His most recent book, “The Princeton Eating Clubs,” is in its second printing. Zink is one of the people interviewed for this week’s cover story on Trenton.
