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B Y T H E N U M B E R S
Nassau Hall
• Two hundred forty-four years ago this month, the
first class of students of the College of New Jersey met in
Nassau Hall. The College previously held classes in
Elizabeth for one year and in Newark for nine years, before
meeting in Princeton's Nassau Hall on Nov. 28, 1757.
• Designed by architect Robert Smith, the building had
three stories and a basement. On each of the three floors, a
central corridor ran the length of the building, with all
the rooms opening onto the corridor.
• After a fire in 1802, only the exterior walls of
Nassau Hall were left standing. Architect Joseph Latrobe was
hired for the reconstruction. The changes he made to Smith's
design were primarily to reduce the danger of fire: brick
and stone replaced wood for the floors and the stairs. In
addition, the roof was raised about two feet, allowing room
for transom lights over the doors.
• Despite the safeguards, another fire in 1855 again
left only the exterior walls. Architect John Notman made
more extensive changes than his predecessor. Because a spark
from a stove was thought to have caused the fire, he
installed nine furnaces to provide central heating. He also
built towers on either end of the building to house
stairways that were removed from interior halls. The tops of
the Italianate towers, which rose above the roof line, were
removed in 1905.
• As dormitories and classroom buildings were
constructed on campus, students and faculty members moved
out of Nassau Hall. John Hibbin (1912-1932) was the first
president to have his office there. By 1924, the building
was devoted entirely to offices of the central
administration.
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November 12, 2001
Vol. 91, No. 9
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Contents
Science
• Tilghman tells high school students of bright future in science
• Time travel: Truth not always stranger than science fiction
• Earth's light show is a clue to finding habitable neighbors
Classroom
• Freshman seminar looks at clothing as a social force
Campus
• Tilghman charges groups with planning for future
• By the numbers: Nassau Hall
People
• People/Briefs
• United Way drive begins Nov. 15
Sections
• Nassau Notes
• Calendar of events
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Editor: Ruth Stevens
Calendar editor: Carolyn Geller
Staff writers: Jennifer Greenstein Altmann, Steven Schultz
Contributing writers: Karin Dienst, Marilyn Marks, Ron
Shinkman
Photographer: Denise Applewhite
Design: Mahlon Lovett, Laurel Masten Cantor
Web edition: Mahlon Lovett
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