Old Queen's
About this property
Old Queens is the oldest building at Rutgers University and is the symbolic heart of the university's campus in New Brunswick in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Rutgers, the eighth-oldest college in the United States, was founded in 1766 during the American colonial period as Queen's College. Queen's College was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of a German duke who became the queen consort of British king George III. Old Queens is located on a six-acre hilltop city block bounded by Somerset Street, Hamilton Street, College Avenue and George Street that was previously an apple orchard. Donated to the college in 1807 by James Parker, Jr., this city block become known as Queens Campus, and is now home to the university president's office as well as the meeting place of the Board of Trustees, so remains the historic core and seat of the university. By metonymy, the name "Old Queens" came to be used as a reference to Rutgers College, and is still often invoked as an allusive reference to the university, or to its central administration. Designed by American architect John McComb Jr., who also designed New York City Hall, the cornerstone of Old Queens was laid in 1809 by the college's third president, the Rev. Ira Condict. Due to financial constraints, construction was not completed until 1825. In its early days, Old Queens provided instruction space for lectures, student and faculty housing, a college library, and a chapel that was shared by three institutions: the college, its grammar school (today, Rutgers Preparatory School), and the New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Today, Old Queens houses the university's administration including the offices of its president and governing boards. Old Queens was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historical Landmark on May 11, 1976 for its significance in architecture and education. It is regarded as a fine example of Federal architecture on a college campus. Queen's Campus, including Old Queens, was added to the NRHP on July 2, 1973.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Old Queen's
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Questions about this property
When was Old Queen's listed on the National Register?
Old Queen's was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Old Queen's?
Old Queen's is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Old Queen's a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Old Queen's has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Old Queen's?
The period of significance for Old Queen's is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Old Queen's?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Old Queen's will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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