New Jersey Hall is a historic education building located on the campus of
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Built in 1889 under the leadership of President Merrill Edward Gates, it housed the
Agricultural Experiment Station
An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with f ...
.
It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on February 24, 1975, for its significance in agriculture and education.
Summary
New Jersey Hall was built in 1889 by architect George K. Parsell. The plot of land it is on was given to Rutgers by James Neilson Jr. The building's construction was funded by the
Hatch Act of 1887
The Hatch Act of 1887 (ch. 314, , enacted 1887-03-02, et seq.) gave federal funds, initially of $15,000 each, to state land-grant colleges in order to create a series of agricultural experiment stations, as well as pass along new information, es ...
, which was passed with the purpose of implementing and conducting agricultural research programs. Prior to the Hatch Act of 1887, the
Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally-owned land, often obtained from indigenous tribes through treaty, cession, or s ...
paved the way for a greater focus on agriculture and mechanical arts in higher education. When Rutgers was declared the
land-grant college
A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
Signed by Abraha ...
of New Jersey, it opened opportunities for innovation and expansion. George H. Cook was the primary advocate for Rutgers to be chosen as the land-grant college of New Jersey and was also the first director of the
New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (or NJAES) is an entity currently operated by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in conjunction with the State of New Jersey in the university's role as the state's sole land-grant universit ...
which was originally housed in New Jersey Hall. The building also initially housed the college's departments of Chemistry and Biology. Today, New Jersey Hall houses the university's Department of Economics and the New Jersey Bureau of Economic Research. It is primarily an office building.
Architecture
New Jersey Hall was built by architect George K. Parsell in 1889. It is a mixture of Queen Anne and
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...
. The outside of the building is made of cut stone. It is three stories high and rests on the foundation of the building which is a high basement. There are two entrances to the building, one on the side of
Voorhees Mall
Voorhees Mall is a large grassy area with stately shade trees on a block (sometimes known as "Voorhees Campus") of about 28 acres (0.11 km²) located on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers University near downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey. ...
and one faces Hamilton Street. Stone arches, supported by Romanesque columns with capitals, mark both sides of the entranceways.
In 1903 there was a fire that destroyed a large portion of the roof and third story. The damaged areas were rebuilt to maintain the original design. Since then some slight renovations and repairs have been done, but the building maintains its historic integrity.
Legislation
The Morrill Act of 1862 gave New Jersey a land script of 210,000 acres of public land in the west. This land was originally that of the Lenni Lenape, who were never compensated. The profits received from the sale of this land to private individuals, allowed New Jersey to fund departments in agriculture and mechanical arts. Rutgers University was chosen as the college to receive these funds and be declared the land-grant college of New Jersey. This shifted higher education to focus on the sciences and allowed low-income and disadvantaged New Jersey residents to receive a formal education.
The Hatch of 1887 allowed for the New Jersey government to give Rutgers an annual subsidy of $15,000, which enabled the establishment of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. On May 11, 1888, plans and funds were excepted by the Rutgers Board of Trustees to build New Jersey Hall, in order to house the NJAES as well as new laboratories.
Educational use
New Jersey Hall was home to the chemistry and biology departments of Rutgers college. Students were given more space to conduct research and experiments, specifically on agricultural and mechanical arts. Advances in the use of fertilizers, as well as insecticides, were made. These experiments also enabled chemists to act as an official food and drug administration for New Jersey residents at the time.