The March Construction Project Management Team at the Courthouse Square / Union Hotel Development
March Construction is bringing the Courthouse Square redevelopment project to Flemington, NJ for Cust Investments… but not without a few spooky surprises along the way!
Project Manager Alan Wolenter has seen firsthand what it takes to manage construction on a 200-year-old historic site that comes with a touch of the unexplained.
A Shocking Coincidence
Alan recalls one eerie moment that got the entire team talking.
“It was April 3rd when it happened,” Alan said.
“We had an electrical surge that caused all the power to go out… but only on the Union Hotel portion of the project. The rest of the site was fine.”
At first, it just seemed like a routine outage.
But when someone looked up what happened on that date, the coincidence was hard to ignore!
“April 3rd, 1936 was the day the Lindbergh kidnapper was executed by electrocution,” Alan added, with a grin.
“You can’t make that stuff up! The guys on site were definitely spooked!”
Saving the Historic Brick Wall
One of the most defining features of the redevelopment is the preservation of the Union Hotel’s original brick facade, a challenging task that required creative engineering and surgical precision.
“The design team had a big challenge: keep the old brick wall standing while we built around it,” Alan explained.
“So they came up with a carefully calculated plan… Using a series of strong supports including scaffolding, shoring, plates with bolts, and structural steel… we held everything steady and kept the brick safe. It was like giving the it a huge brace.”
Throughout construction, the team worked in phases to transition between different support systems, ensuring the wall stayed perfectly aligned as the new structure rose around it.
“As the construction manager, our job was to make sure the plan worked perfectly,” Alan said. “We paid close attention to every step, and in the end… it worked. The wall is safe, the building is strong, and here we are today.”
A River Beneath the Streets
Beyond the ghosts and the brickwork, another surprise awaited underground.
“When we first started digging into Spring Street, we hit a lot of water,” Alan recalled. “There’s a high water table that runs from Main Street under the building all the way to Spring Street… it’s constantly flowing.”
To address this, the design team had to come up with a lasting solution.
“They designed an entire drainage slab system beneath the building,” Alan explained. “It’s built to stay there forever, keeping the site dry and stable. It’s one of those hidden engineering feats no one will ever see, but it makes all the difference.”
History Rebuilt
From mysterious outages to complex preservation challenges, Courthouse Square has proven to be more than just another construction project — it’s a living bridge between past and present.
“Every day here is different,” Alan said. “You feel the history in these walls, but you also get to see what it’s becoming… a place where people can live, work, and gather again. That’s what makes it worth it.”
Click below to watch a video of The Union Hotel before it was rebuilt, with more spooky stories from Superintendent Ken Kida!
