Princeton University

FitzRandolph Gate at Princeton University

The imposing wrought-iron gate, known as FitzRandolph Gate, is the official entrance to Princeton's campus. It was funded by a bequest from Augustus Van Wickle in honor of his great grandfather, Nathaniel FitzRandolph. The son of a 17th-century Quaker settler of Princeton, FitzRandolph was instrumental in raising the money and land required to build the college, and in 1753 he gave the original four and a half acres on which Nassau Hall was built. The gate was designed by the firm of McKim, Meade and White and erected in 1905.

Joseph Henry House on the Campus of Princeton University

The Joseph Henry House is a historic building located on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Joseph Henry, a prominent American physicist who worked in electromagnetics, designed the house in 1836 and lived there from its completion in 1838 until taking a position as the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1848. The Henry house has been moved repeatedly throughout its history, first in 1870 to a site behind East College, again in 1925 to the corner of Washington Road and Nassau Street to accommodate the construction of the Princeton University Chapel, and finally in 1946 to its present location. The Henry house now stands along the northern edge of the University's campus adjacent to Chancellor Green and serves the home of Princeton's Adlinger Center for the Humanities. After Henry's departure, the house served as the official housing of the Dean of the College, the University's senior undergraduate academic officer, from 1909 to 1961.

The Joseph Henry House on Princeton University

The Joseph Henry House now stands along the northern edge of the University's campus adjacent to Chancellor Green and serves the home of Princeton's Adlinger Center for the Humanities. After Henry's departure, the house served as the official housing of the Dean of the College, the University's senior undergraduate academic officer, from 1909 to 1961.

The John Maclean House at Princeton University

The President's House, also known as the John Maclean House, or simply the Maclean House, in Princeton, NJ. It was built to serve as the home of the President of the College of New Jersey, which later became Princeton University. It was completed in 1756, the same year as Nassau Hall. John Witherspoon lived here from 1768 through 1779, during which time he served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. George Washington occupied Maclean House in January 1777, during the Battle of Princeton and in 1783 while Congress met in Nassau Hall. At least five Princeton presidents who occupied the President's House between 1756 and 1822. These presidents included Aaron Burr Sr., Jonathan Edwards, Samuel Finley, Samuel Stanhope Smith, and Ashbel Green.

Nassau Hall on the Campus of Princeton University

Nassau Hall was built in 1756 to house what was then the College of New Jersey. The largest stone building in the American Colonies, it was built on land donated by Nathaniel FitzRandolph, after whom the University's FitzRandolph Gate is named. The name "Nassau Hall" was proposed by Governor Jonathan Belcher in honor of King William III, "who was a branch of the illustrious house of Nassau."

Nassau Hall on Princeton University Campus

During the American Revolution, when Princeton's campus became a battleground, Nassau Hall was ravaged by the occupying troops of both armies. The Battle of Princeton(link is external) on January 3, 1777, marked a turning point in the war, when the British troops holding Nassau Hall surrendered to General George Washington. In 1783, the building served as the nation's capitol, housing the Continental Congress from June to November. It was in Nassau Hall that the news of the peace treaty with Great Britain was received.

The Cupola on top of Nassau Hall at Princeton University

Mr Latrobe raised the belfry on a large square base to accommodate a clock and to give the cupola added height. Latrobe's changes gave Nassau Hall a Federal rather than a Colonial style, adding grace without marring the original simplicity.

The Two Bronze Tigers Flanking Nassau Hall’s Front Doorway

These bronze tigers are the most beloved sculptures on campus, having guarded Nassau Hall since 1911. When it became apparent that the tiger (and not the lion) was to be Princeton’s mascot, the Class of 1879 gave the tigers to the University to replace the lions it had given in 1889. The tigers are the work of Alexander Phimister Proctor, famous for monumental sculptures depicting wildlife and the American west. The model for this pair was a circus tiger.

Beautiful Alexander Hall at Princeton

Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall is a historic 900-seat Richardsonian Romanesque performance hall at Princeton, University. Construction on Alexander Hall began in 1892 and was completed two years later. The Romanesque building features an exterior of granite and brown sandstone, and a wealth of academically themed stained glass, mosaics, sculptures, and carvings, both inside and out. Alexander Hall is a 900-seat Richardsonian Romanesque assembly hall at Princeton University in Princeton. It was home to both the Princeton University Orchestra and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. The name honors three generations of members of the Alexander family who served as trustees to the University.

The Beautiful Mosaic on Alexander Hall at Princeton University

The ornately carved southern exterior features a large, Tiffany stained glass rose window that portrays an allegorical study of Genius, Knowledge, Study, and Fame. Underneath the rose window is a bas-relief sculpture designed by J.A. Bolger and executed by J. Massey Rhind. The central figure, symbolizing Learning, sits on a massive throne and carefully steadies the Book of Knowledge on his knee. He is framed by Oratory, Theology, Law, History, Philosophy, and Ethics on his left, and Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Poetry, Music, and Belles-Lettres on his right. Each figure holds an object that reveals the identity of its owner—Theology carries a Bible, Architecture holds a miniature Greek temple, Painting grasps a paintbrush, Music displays his lyre, and so on.

Alexander Hall at Princeton

Alexander Hall was the last High Victorian Gothic building constructed at Princeton, which was soon dominated by Collegiate Gothic architecture. As such, the building’s unusual features convey both monumentality and whimsy. Alexander was conceived as an academic theater and cultural temple, and both its structural design and iconography reflect a scholarly, yet secular agenda.

Witherspoon Hall At Princeton University

Witherspoon Hall, commissioned in 1875 and occupied two years later. Designed by William A. Potter and Robert H. Robertson, Witherspoon was another in the series of High Victorian Gothic buildings at Princeton. Witherspoon's location was influenced by the advent of the railroad station. Shaped like an "H", the building accommodated 140 students in 80 rooms. The ground level was constructed of dark, ashlar stone from Newark, while the floors above were made of blue-gray Pennsylvania marble set off with bands of Newark stone. The roof was broken by numerous gables and dormers, and each floor had a different style of windows. Witherspoon was tailored to meet the needs of these wealthy students. It had amenities such as waterclosets on every floor, dumbwaiters, and special corridors and rooms for servants. In fact, Witherspoon was considered the most modern and elegant dormitory of its time. Harper's Weekly declared the structure "one of the most commanding college buildings in the world." Another contemporary observer wrote that it was "the most beautiful and luxurious college dormitory in the country." One of its first occupants was Woodrow Wilson, who lived here during three of his years as a Princeton undergraduate.

Whig and Clio Halls at Princeton University

Whig and Clio Halls are not the first to bear these names. The structures that stand today are 1890s recreations (and embellishments) of the ones built for the debating societies in the late 1830s. Bitter rivals, the American Whig Society and the Cliosophic Society dominated undergraduate life at the College of New Jersey during the late 18th and most of the 19th centuries. The Halls, as they were known, were independent entities that combined the best and worst elements of secret society, debating club, social center, library, and political organization. At the same time, however, the Halls enjoyed powerful alumni support and provided services that the College did not. In 1835, the Whig Society organized a building committee to consider building their own separate new structure. The Clios followed soon after. Representatives of the Societies approached the Trustees in September of that year, and in September 1836 both Societies were granted permission to build Halls -- at their own expense.

Whig Hall Princeton University

The American Whig-Cliosophic Society, the oldest college debating club in the United States, now resides in Whig Hall. While Wig Hall seems somewhat out of place amidst the Collegiate Gothic of the Princeton campus. However, in the late 1830s, when these structures were first erected, they represented the height of architectural fashion. The reference to classical Greek structures was an appropriate gesture by societies that existed to promote "democratic" debate.

Clio Hall Princeton University

Clio Hall, originally the home of the Cliosophic Society, was built in 1893 at the same time as its identical neighbor, Whig Hall. After the Cliosophic Society merged with the American Whig Society in 1929 to form what is commonly nown as Whig-Clio, Clio was used for a variety of purposes and became for a time the home of the Department of Music. In 1963, on the completion of the Woolworth Center for Musical Studies, the building's interior was renovated, and it has since been used by Personnel Services and later also by Career Services.

Blair Hall at Princeton University

Blair Arch: One of the most beloved spots on campus is Blair Arch, at the juncture between Blair and Buyers halls. Built in 1897, Blair Hall marked the western edge of campus for 20 years and its architects, the firm Cope & Stewardson, were masters of the Collegiate Gothic style. The arch also served as a gateway to the University for passengers disembarking from the train into town. Due to its exceptional acoustics, Blair Arch now is the setting for performances by more than a dozen student a cappella groups; it is also the site of traditional step sings by the freshman class at the beginning of the academic year and by the senior class before Commencement.

The Tower at Blair Hall

When first built, Blair, Little, and the Gymnasium marked the western boundary of the campus. Originally the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks came to the foot of the broad steps leading up to Blair Arch, which served as the entrance to the campus for visitors arriving by train. This was a convenience for most people but a mixed blessing for students living in Blair; the puffing engine parked below often kept them awake and the soot from its smokestack blew into their rooms. In 1918 the railroad station near the foot of the steps was moved a quarter of a mile to the south and the intervening tracks taken up, making way for the post-World War I dormitory development that Blair Tower now overlooks.

Blair Hall at Princeton University

Blair Hall, the University's first collegiate Gothic dormitory, was a Sesquicentennial gift of John Insley Blair (1802-1899), a trustee of Princeton from 1866 to 1899.

Holder Tower at Princeton University

The centerpiece of the Rockefeller complex is Holder Memorial Tower, a campus landmark that rises majestically 145 feet above the campus. An inscription in the archway is in honor of Acting Governor John Hamilton, for whom Hamilton Hall I named. He granted the first Charter to the University, then known as the College of New Jersey, on October 22, 1746.

Holder Hall Cloister at Princeton University

Holder Hall forms the large quadrangle on Nassau Street, three sides containing dormitory rooms, the fourth cloisters, the whole dominated by Holder Tower. Noteworthy features are the heavy, slate roofs and the leaded casement windows of the dormitory, and this the vaulted passages of the cloisters.

View from the Cloister of the interior of a Courtyard at Rockefeller College

The buildings on the western side of Holder Courtyard house the college’s social, dining, and academic facilities

View of Hamilton Hall From a Courtyard at Princeton University

Located at Rockefeller College at Princeton University, Hamilton Hall, one of the smallest Gothic dormitories, and one of the most charming, was designed by Day and Klauder and built in 1911 with funds donated by the Classes of 1884 and 1885.

Joline Hall at Princeton University

Joline Hall at Mathey College in Princeton University is a residence hall. It was donated by Mary Joline in honor of Adrian Joline, Class of 1870. First occupied in 1933

Tigers Watching over the Courtyard in Front of Lockhart Hall

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