Wood Lawn is a historic mansion located off Ryders Lane on the Cook Douglass Campus of
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
in the city of
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
in
Middlesex County, New Jersey
Middlesex County is a County (United States), county located in the North Jersey, north-Central Jersey, central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, extending inland from the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the ...
. The house was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on March 8, 1978, for its significance in architecture and education.
[ With ] It is currently used by the
Eagleton Institute of Politics
The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University was established in 1956 with an endowment from Florence Peshine Eagleton (1870–1953), and it focuses on state and national politics through education and public service. Ruth Mandel served ...
.
History and description
The house was built by Colonel James Neilson (1784–1862) in 1830 on land purchased in 1720 by his mother's grandfather, Johannis Voorhees.
Neilson served on the Rutgers Board of Trustees from 1833 until 1862. In 1850, a kitchen wing was added. In 1868, bay window extensions were added by his son, James Neilson (1844–1937), who was a trustee from 1886 until 1937. The last major changes were made by the architectural firm of
McKim, Mead & White
McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York.
The firm's founding partners, Cha ...
in 1905. The previous
Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture is a series of Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the st ...
was transformed into its present
Classical Revival style
Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of the most promin ...
.
Gallery
File:Wood Lawn, New Brunswick, NJ - information plaque.jpg, NRHP plaque
File:Wood Lawn, New Brunswick, NJ - looking south.jpg, Facing the great lawn, with an Eagleton Institute of Politics
The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University was established in 1956 with an endowment from Florence Peshine Eagleton (1870–1953), and it focuses on state and national politics through education and public service. Ruth Mandel served ...
banner
See also
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References
External links
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{{NRHP in Middlesex County, New Jersey
Rutgers University buildings
Buildings and structures in New Brunswick, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
1830 establishments in New Jersey
Neoclassical architecture in New Jersey
McKim, Mead & White buildings