Notman's 1851 Italianate design gives your Prospect House its low-pitch roofs and rustic sandstone massing. Built in 1851, it is a fine example of the work of architect John Notman, who helped popularize Italianate architecture in America. You can sense the Italianate influence in the low-pitch hip roofs and the broad eaves decorated with brackets, and in the building's two-story stone massing of rustically cut sandstone.
A three-story tower rises at one end, balanced by a single-story service wing, while the main facade presents a central stone porte-cochere topped by a balustrade. Slightly projecting bays flank that entrance and feature matching second-story balconies. Once part of a larger estate, the house now sits on 5 acres (2.0 ha) of landscaped grounds.
Notable residents include Woodrow Wilson during his tenure as president of the university, and the building now serves as a faculty club. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985 for its architecture and historic associations. A modern dining room addition alters the rear massing, a reminder that this is a living historic place.
Notice the house, then picture the five acres reaching toward the Princeton University Art Museum and Washington Street.