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Shadow Lawn (New Jersey)

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Coordinates:40°16′46″N74°0′19″W/ 40.27944°N 74.00528°W/40.27944; -74.00528
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Shadow Lawn
The Great Hall at Shadow Lawn
Shadow Lawn (New Jersey) is located in Monmouth County, New Jersey
Shadow Lawn (New Jersey)
Shadow Lawn (New Jersey) is located in New Jersey
Shadow Lawn (New Jersey)
Shadow Lawn (New Jersey) is located in the United States
Shadow Lawn (New Jersey)
LocationCedar and Norwood Avenues,West Long Branch, New Jersey
Coordinates40°16′46″N74°0′19″W/ 40.27944°N 74.00528°W/40.27944; -74.00528
Arealess than one acre
Built1927(1927)
Built byThompson–Starrett Co.[1]
ArchitectHorace Trumbauer,Julian Abele[2]
Architectural styleBeaux Arts; French chateau; Italian Renaissance
NRHP referenceNo.78001780
NJRHPNo.2084[3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 28, 1978[4]
Designated NHLFebruary 4, 1985[5]
Designated NJRHPAugust 19, 1977

Shadow Lawnis a historic building on the campus ofMonmouth UniversityinWest Long Branch,Monmouth County,New Jersey,United States. Built in 1927 forHubert T. Parson,president of theF.W. Woolworth Company,it is one of the last large estate houses to be built before theGreat Depression.It was designated aNational Historic Landmarkin 1985 for its architecture.[2]

Architecture

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Shadow Lawn is a large masonry building, three stories in height, with a main facade that is over 300 feet (91 m) wide. A three-bay section projects at the center of the main (south) facade, with a Doric columned single-story portico at its front. A dentillated cornice separates the second and third floors, and a balustrade surrounds the roof, with sculptures mounted on some of the corner columns. The interior has more than 100 rooms, with lavishly appointed public spaces. An interior courtyard is 100 feet (30 m) long, with a covering skylight; its walls are adorned with plaster pilasters and arched window openings. The main hall features a well-concealed Aeolian Skinner organ, and the basement houses abowling alleythat saw little use during the Parson's ownership.[2]

History

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The Shadow Lawn estate was first developed in the early 20th century byJohn A. McCall,president of theNew York Life Insurance Company.Its main house was a 52-room mansion, which in 1916 served as thesummer White Housefor PresidentWoodrow Wilson.[6]Wilson planned many aspects of his reelection campaign from that house. In 1918, the estate was purchased byHubert T. Parson,president of theF.W. Woolworth Company.The main house was destroyed by fire in 1927, and Parson and his wife Maysie immediately embarked on building an ostentatious replacement.[2]

Sparing no expense, they retained the notedGilded AgearchitectHorace Trumbauer,and the design of the present building are credited to Trumbauer and his assistant,Julian Abele.The exterior garden landscape was designed by the French landscape architectAchille Duchêne.By the time the building was complete the Parsons had spent more than $10 million. They had continued work despite the onset of the Great Depression, which eventually ruined their finances. Unable to recoup his expenditures on the estate by selling it, the property was taken by the town for $100 in 1939.[7]After housing a girls' school for a time, it became part ofMonmouth Universityin 1956.[7]

Shadow Lawn was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1978 for its significance in art, architecture, and landscape architecture and then declared aNational Historic Landmarkin 1985.[2][5]

The building was used to portray Oliver Warbucks' (Albert Finney) mansion in the filmAnnie.[7][8]

The current building was renamed from Shadow Lawn to Woodrow Wilson Hall after Monmouth's acquisition of the estate, honoring Wilson's occupation of its predecessor. In 2020, the building returned to its Shadow Lawn name, with the university citing Wilson's racist policies for the change.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Early History of West Long Branch: Shadow Lawn".The West Long Branch Historical Society. Archived fromthe originalon May 10, 2015.
  2. ^abcde"National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination"(pdf).National Park Service.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)andAccompanying photos(32 KB)
  3. ^"New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Monmouth County"(PDF).New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection- Historic Preservation Office. January 10, 2010. p. 12. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on December 2, 2007.RetrievedApril 7,2010.
  4. ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.January 23, 2007.
  5. ^ab"Shadow Lawn".National Historic Landmark summary listing.National Park Service. Archived fromthe originalon February 25, 2007.RetrievedSeptember 8,2009.
  6. ^Service, Bain News (1916)."Shadow Lawn, 9/2/16".www.loc.gov.RetrievedJune 11,2023.
  7. ^abc"History of Wilson Hall".Monmouth University.
  8. ^Turan, Kenneth. "Annie",The New York Times,p. SM 40, May 2, 1982.
  9. ^Budryk, Zach (June 21, 2020)."Monmouth University renaming Woodrow Wilson Hall".The Hill.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
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