Collection View
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
Folders are arranged by accession number.
- Scope and Contents
The material consists of correspondence and documents of Robert Smith which are chiefly related to the building of The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and of the house of the College president. Included is correspondence with the Rev. Aaron Burr, second president of the College of New Jersey, and receipts in payment for the building of Nassau Hall, dated August 19, 1757. There are accounts of monies paid to Smith on behalf of the Trustees of the College signed by Richard Stockton. In addtion, there are several receipts in payment for windows and other material related to the building of Nassau Hall and the President's house by the Rev. John Brainerd, Aaron Burr, David Ogden, Charles Read, and Jonathan Sergeant, dated between 1755 and 1758. Also, there is an autograph document signed by Smith and dated August 5, 1790, regarding the title of a 53 acre tract of land In Penns Neck, New Jersey.
- Arrangement
Folders are arranged by accession number.
- Collection Creator Biography:
Smith, Robert, 1722-1777
Robert Smith was considered by many to be the foremost master-builder, or carpenter-architect, of the Colonial period, and has been called "America's most important eighteenth-century architect.". Nassau Hall at the College of New Jersey was the third building he designed in the American colonies. Smith was also responsible for the college president's house, built concurrently with Nassau Hall (1753-1756). Other important works by Smith include St. Peter's Church, Benjamin Franklin's house, Carpenter's Hall, and the Walnut Street Prison, all in Philadelphia, and University Hall at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Smith was also involved in the struggle for American independence. He produced designs for military architecture to protect Philadelphia from British attack, such as the elaborate system of underwater fortifications in the Delaware River that stymied British communications off the coast, and the Continental Army barracks (1777) at Billingsport, New Jersey.
- Acquisition:
Robert Smith's description and title of a 53 acre tract in Penn's Neck, N.J., was a gift of C. C. Abbott, Princeton Historical Society in February 1901 .
All other accessions were originally part of the Pyne-Henry Collection. Various AM.
- Custodial History
The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.
- Appraisal
No appraisal information is available.
- Processing Information
This collection was processed by Dina Britain on August 16, 2007. Finding aid written by Traci Ballou-Broadnax on August 21, 2007. Folder Inventory added by Hilde Creager (2015) in 2012.
- Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
- Credit this material:
Robert Smith Collection; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Permanent URL:
- http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/n009w233p
- Location:
-
Firestone LibraryOne Washington RoadPrinceton, NJ 08544, USA
- Storage Note:
- Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1
