Wood Lawn (New Brunswick, New Jersey)

{{short description|Historic house in New Jersey, United States}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Wood Lawn

| nrhp_type =

| image = Wood Lawn, New Brunswick, NJ.jpg

| caption = Wood Lawn in 2020

| location= Cook Douglass Campus, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

| coordinates = {{coord|40|28|54|N|74|25|59|W|region:US_type:landmark|name=Wood Lawn|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = USA New Jersey Middlesex County#New Jersey#USA

| built = {{Start date|1830}}

| architect = McKim, Mead & White

| architecture = Classical Revival

| added = March 8, 1978

| area =

| refnum = 78001772{{NRISref|version=2013a|refnum=78001772}}

| designated_other1_name = New Jersey Register of Historic Places

| designated_other1_abbr = NJRHP

| designated_other1_link = New Jersey Register of Historic Places

| designated_other1_date = April 15, 1977

| designated_other1_number = 1883{{cite web | title=New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Middlesex County | url=http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/Middlesex.pdf | publisher=New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office | page=8 | date=September 30, 2020 }}

| designated_other1_num_position = bottom

| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b

}}

Wood Lawn is a historic mansion located off Ryders Lane on the Cook Douglass Campus of Rutgers University in the city of New Brunswick in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1978, for its significance in architecture and education.{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=78001772}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Wood Lawn |publisher=National Park Service|first1=Michael C. |last1=Barr |date=April 15, 1977 }} With {{NRHP url|id=78001772|photos=y|title=accompanying photo}} It is currently used by the Eagleton Institute of Politics.{{cite web |title=Eagleton History |url=https://eagleton.rutgers.edu/eagleton-institute-history/ |publisher=Rutgers University}}

History and description

The house was built by Colonel James Neilson (1784–1862) in 1830 on land purchased in 1720 by his mother's grandfather, Johannis Voorhees. Neilson served on the Rutgers Board of Trustees from 1833 until 1862. In 1850, a kitchen wing was added. In 1868, bay window extensions were added by his son, James Neilson (1844–1937), who was a trustee from 1886 until 1937. The last major changes were made by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White in 1905. The previous Victorian architecture was transformed into its present Classical Revival style.