Princeton University was founded in 1746 initially to train Presbyterian Ministers. The campus moved from Elizabeth to Newark operating with the name College of New Jersey until settling in at its present location in Princeton, New Jersey in 1896. As a university it is considered to be ranked one of the top five institutions of higher learning in the nation. Princeton University has educated two United States presidents, twelve supreme court justices, five chairs of the Federal Reserve, sixty-three Nobel Laureates and eight secretaries of state.

The university was named after British William III of the House of Orange-Nassau and the colors remain orange and black for team sports with a tiger as the mascot. In 1768 Princeton University President John Witherspoon changed the direction from educating ministers exclusively to training American leaders. In 1969, Princeton University admitted women and allowed women in the eating clubs during the early 1990’s. Some of the notable graduates include: Bill Bradley, James Madison, Woodrow Wilson, Aaron Burr, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Jimmy Stuart, Jose Ferre, Brook Shields and Will Stanton.

The pictorial focus of this blog is on the architectural style of the buildings that are found on the campus in 2018.  The early style of High Victorian Gothic is still found in a few of the oldest structures. It features the use of polychrome multi color decorations.There are also some Romanesque Revival in style with simple rounded arches and windows, but Princeton University now favors Collegiate Gothic. Collegiate Gothic has a rectangular plan with pointed arches and recessed entrances. Enjoy our photos.