Shadow Lawn is a historic building on the campus of

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full- ...

in West Long Branch, Monmouth County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. Built in 1927 for Hubert T. Parson, president of the

F.W. Woolworth Company The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's or simply Woolworth) was a retail company and one of the pioneers of the five-and-dime store. It was among the most successful American and international five-and-dime businesses, se ...

, it is one of the last large estate houses to be built before the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1985 for its architecture.

Architecture

Shadow Lawn is a large masonry building, three stories in height, with a main facade that is over wide. A three-bay section projects at the center of the main (south) facade, with a Doric columned single-story portico at its front. A dentillated cornice separates the second and third floors, and a balustrade surrounds the roof, with sculptures mounted on some of the corner columns. The interior has more than 100 rooms, with lavishly appointed public spaces. An interior courtyard is long, with a covering skylight; its walls are adorned with plaster pilasters and arched window openings. The main hall features a well-concealed Aeolian Skinner organ, and the basement houses a

bowling alley A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a Meetinghouse, clubhous ...

that saw little use during the Parson's ownership.

History

The Shadow Lawn estate was first developed in the early 20th century by John A. McCall, president of the

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United State ...

. Its main house was a 52-room mansion, which in 1915 served as the

summer White House Listed below are the private house, residences of the various President of the United States, presidents of the United States. For a list of official residences, see President of the United States#Residence, President of the United States § Re ...

for President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

in 1916. Wilson planned many aspects of his reelection campaign from that house. In 1918, the estate was purchased by Hubert T. Parson, president of the

. The main house was destroyed by fire in 1927, and Parson and his wife Maysie immediately embarked on building an ostentatious replacement. Sparing no expense, they retained the noted

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

architect

Horace Trumbauer Horace Trumbauer (December 28, 1868 – September 18, 1938) was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of ...

, and the design of the present building are credited to Trumbauer and his assistant,

Julian Abele Julian Francis Abele (April 30, 1881April 23, 1950) was a prominent Black American architect, and chief designer in the offices of Horace Trumbauer. He contributed to the design of more than 400 buildings, including the Widener Memorial Library at ...

. The exterior garden landscape was designed by the French landscape architect

Achille Duchêne Achille Duchêne (1866 — 1947) was a French garden designer who worked in the grand manner established by André Le Nôtre. The son of the landscaper Henri Duchêne, Achille Duchêne was the garden designer most in demand among high French societ ...

. By the time the building was complete the Parsons had spent more than $10 million. They had continued work despite the onset of the Great Depression, which eventually ruined their finances. Unable to recoup his expenditures on the estate by selling it, the property was taken by the town for $100 in 1939. After housing a girls' school for a time, it became part of

in 1956. Shadow Lawn was listed on 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 ...

in 1978 for its significance in art, architecture, and landscape architecture and then declared a

in 1985. and The building was used to portray Oliver Warbucks' (

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...

) mansion in the film ''Annie''.Turan, Kenneth.
Annie
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', p. SM 40, May 2, 1982. The current building was renamed from Shadow Lawn to Woodrow Wilson Hall after Monmouth's acquisition of the estate, honoring Wilson's occupation of its predecessor. In 2020, the building returned to its Shadow Lawn name, with the university citing Wilson's racist policies for the change.

References

External links

*
New Jersey Arts
text and photographs {{Monmouth University Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Houses in Monmouth County, New Jersey National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey Houses completed in 1927 Monmouth University F. W. Woolworth Company buildings and structures National Register of Historic Places in Monmouth County, New Jersey West Long Branch, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey Beaux-Arts architecture in New Jersey 1927 establishments in New Jersey

Architecture

History

See also

References

External links