Picture Old Nassau in 1756, the largest academic building in colonial New Jersey, here in Mercer County. Built in 1756, it was then the largest building in colonial New Jersey and the largest academic building in the American colonies. The College of New Jersey — the university’s original name — held classes one year in Elizabeth and nine years in Newark before this hall was completed.
Originally designed by Robert Smith, Nassau Hall was later remodeled by Benjamin Latrobe after the 1802 fire and by John Notman after the 1855 fire. In the university’s early years it contained classrooms, a library, a chapel, and residential space for students and faculty, and it later housed the university’s first Department of Psychology. This building bore witness to the American Revolutionary War: possessed at times by British and American forces, it suffered considerable damage, especially during the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777.
In 1783 Nassau Hall served as the United States Capitol building for four months, and from June 30 to November 4, 1783, Princeton was the provisional capital. Picture those events, then notice the university that grew up around this hall.