The History of Van Nest Hall
Van Nest Hall (1847), the second multi-purpose building constructed for Rutgers College, was designed by Nicholas Wyckoff as a two-story building in the Renaissance Revival Style constructed of brick and brownstone. Abraham Van Nest, a benefactor and trustee of Rutgers College, funded the original construction. The college’s two literary societies, Philoclean and Peithessophian, occupied the first floor with private, secular libraries and debate rooms. These societies offered students a place to discuss contemporary culture and politics. Chemistry and biology laboratories, as well as the geology collections, occupied the second floor. In 1893, Ann Van Nest Bussing, the daughter of Abraham Van Nest, funded the construction of a third-floor drafting room and a new entrance porch. Renovated to serve as administrative offices, Van Nest Hall is currently the home of Alumni Relations. Van Nest Hall is a contributing building to the Queen’s Campus Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
