Robert Smith (1756), Benjamin Latrobe (1804), John Notman (1855)
Architectural style
Renaissance
Part of
Princeton Historic District (ID75001143)
NRHP reference No.
66000465[1]
NJRHP No.
1739[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP
October 15, 1966
Designated NHL
October 9, 1960[3]
Designated NJRHP
May 27, 1971
Nassau Hall, colloquially known as Old Nassau, is the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.[4] In 1783 it served as the United States Capitol building for four months. At the time it was built in 1756, Nassau Hall was the largest building in colonial New Jersey and the largest academic building in the American colonies.[5]
The university, originally known as the College of New Jersey, held classes for one year in Elizabeth and nine years in Newark before the hall was completed in 1756. Designed originally by Robert Smith, the building was subsequently remodeled by notable American architects Benjamin Latrobe, after the 1802 fire, and John Notman, after the 1855 fire. In the early years of Princeton University, Nassau Hall accommodated classrooms, a library, a chapel, and residential space for students and faculty. It housed the university's first Department of Psychology.
During the American Revolutionary War, Nassau Hall was possessed by both British and American forces and suffered considerable damage, especially during the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. From June 30 to November 4, 1783, Princeton was the provisional capital of the United States, and Nassau Hall served as its seat of government. The Congress of the Confederation met in the building's library on the second floor. According to Princeton University, "Here Congress congratulated George Washington on his successful termination of the war, received the news of the signing of the definitive treaty of peace with Great Britain, and welcomed the first foreign minister—from the Netherlands—accredited to the United States."[6]
At present, Nassau Hall houses Princeton University's administrative offices, including that of the university's president. Old Nassau refers affectionately to the building and serves as a metonym for the university as a whole. The U.S. Department of the Interior designated Nassau Hall a National Historic Landmark in 1960, "signifying its importance in the Revolutionary War and in the history of the United States."
^"National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
^"New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places — Mercer County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — Historic Preservation Office. April 5, 2013. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
^"Nassau Hall". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. June 23, 2008. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
^Orange Key Virtual Tour. Stop 8 "Front Campus" (including Nassau Hall) on the Princeton University website. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
^United States. Embassy. Department of State. BUILDINGS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, n.d. Web. 2012. https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/buildings/section8
^Princetoniana: Nassau Hall published on Princeton University's website and adapted from Leitch, Alexander. A Princeton Companion (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1978). Website accessed 15 January 2007.
NassauHall, colloquially known as Old Nassau, is the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States....
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these in age, NassauHall at Princeton University began as the single building of the then college. In medieval origin, these were the halls in which the...
played host to members of the Continental Congress when it met in nearby NassauHall. In 1937, the original inn was demolished to make way for the Palmer...
building, such as the Wren Building at the William & Mary (1705) and NassauHall at Princeton (1756); these went on to inspire other "Old Main" buildings...
University students formed the Black Justice League, which in 2015, occupied NassauHall and presented a list of demands to university administrators. Similarly...
Princeton University, and "Old Nassau" is a nickname for Princeton, named for its historic administration building, NassauHall. The reactions involved are...
shortly before moving into the newly built NassauHall in Princeton. In 1783, for about four months NassauHall hosted the United States Congress, and many...
John Sullivan encouraged some British troops who had taken refuge in NassauHall to surrender, ending the battle. After the battle, Washington moved his...
Hofstra University/NYU extension NassauHall, the oldest building on Princeton University's campus Queen's College, Nassau, the oldest private school in...
over". Retrieved March 18, 2017. "Wally Szczerbiak, Ed Kranepool in NassauHall of Fame". Newsday. May 2, 2012. "CBS College Sports". Archived from the...
official entrance of Princeton University, standing in front of NassauHall on Nassau Street in Princeton, New Jersey. The gate was funded by a bequest...
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, east of New York City. The Long...
American Revolutionary War. The battle ended when the British soldiers in NassauHall surrendered. This success, following those at the Battle of Trenton on...
Princeton University) opened in Princeton and services were held in NassauHall. A few years later funds were collected to build a church to serve the...
the Old Pennsylvania State House, which by then was renamed Independence Hall, from the famous actions of there eleven years earlier. The Philadelphia...
The Nassau Club of Princeton, New Jersey, founded in 1889 by, among others, Woodrow Wilson as a town-and-gown club to bring the townspeople and the University...
again to Walter Lowrie House. The Office of the President is housed in NassauHall. List of Princeton University people History of Princeton University...
British charges. In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in NassauHall at Princeton University, making Princeton the nation's capital for four...
Nassau Castle, located in Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, was the original seat of the House of Nassau. The ruins of the castle are situated on...
Donald Grant Herring Estate Maclean House Maybury Hill Mercer Oak Morven NassauHall Princeton Battle Monument Princeton Cemetery Princeton Railroad Station...
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