Old Queens

Old Queens is the oldest building at Rutgers University and is the symbolic heart of the university's campus in New Brunswick in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Rutgers, the eighth-oldest college in the United States, was founded in 1766 during the American colonial period as Queen's College. Queen's College was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of a German duke who became the queen consort of British king George III. Old Queens is located on a six-acre hilltop city block bounded by Somerset Street, Hamilton Street, College Avenue and George Street that was previously an apple orchard. Donated to the college in 1807 by James Parker, Jr., this city block become known as Queens Campus, and is now home to the university president's office as well as the meeting place of the Board of Trustees, so remains the historic core and seat of the university. By metonymy, the name "Old Queens" came to be used as a reference to Rutgers College, and is still often invoked as an allusive reference to the university, or to its central administration. Designed by American architect John McComb Jr., who also designed New York City Hall, the cornerstone of Old Queens was laid in 1809 by the college's third president, the Rev. Ira Condict. Due to financial constraints, construction was not completed until 1825. In its early days, Old Queens provided instruction space for lectur

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