Rutgers’ Old Queens turns 200 years old

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is celebrating the bicentennial of Old Queens, the state’s oldest intact higher education building. The building was designated a historic landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1976.

In honor of the occasion, Rutgers students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends will take turns in a ceremonial ringing of the building’s bell 200 times. The bell was donated by Colonel Henry Rutgers, after whom the university is named.

Additionally, a Rutgers student will conduct a time capsule presentation. The capsule is expected to be opened in the year 2109.

Remarks will be given by Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick; Paul Clemens, professor of history; Carla Yanni, professor of art history and assistant vice president for undergraduate academic affairs; and student Ismanie Guillaume, Douglass College 2009. The Rutgers University Glee Club will perform.

Old Queens Building, 83 Somerset Street in New Brunswick. Parking is available at the Old Queens parking lot alongside Kirkpatrick Chapel.

The cornerstone of Old Queens was laid April 27, 1809. The building originally housed the preparatory school, college and theological seminary as well as residential units for faculty. Presently, Old Queens is occupied by Rutgers’ central administrative offices. 

Old Queens was designed by John McComb Jr., one of the best known architects of his era. His achievements include such landmarks as New York’s City Hall and Hamilton Grange, the home of Alexander Hamilton.