Westland Mansion

Grover Cleveland Home
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Westland, home of Grover Cleveland, shown in 2008
Location	15 Hodge Road, Princeton, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°21′4.63″N 74°40′3.72″W / 40.3512861°N 74.6677000°W / 40.3512861; -74.6677000Coordinates: 40°21′4.63″N 74°40′3.72″W / 40.3512861°N 74.6677000°W / 40.3512861; -74.6677000
Built	mid-1800s
Governing body	Private
Part of	Princeton Historic District (#75001143)
NRHP Reference #	66000463[1][2]
NJRHP #	1731[3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL	June 23, 1965 [4]
Designated NJRHP	May 27, 1971

Westland Mansion was the Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, home of the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States, Grover Cleveland.

The house was built by Robert F. Stockton in the mid-19th century. The National Park Service describes the original house, patterned after Morven (a nearby 18th-century mansion also owned by Robert Stockton) as a "2-1/2-story, stone structure covered with stucco painted yellow, [with] twin parlors on the first floor, spacious rooms, high ceilings, and handsome marble mantelpieces." Stockton, who hailed from a prominent political family, was a United States Senator and naval commodore, notable for the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. Stockton’s grandfather, Judge Richard Stockton, was a signer of The Declaration of Independence. The original home, modeled after nearby Morven, originally consisted of a three story main residence on roughly 4.5 square acres of expansive lawns and fruit orchards. Later, a small wing extending from the rear of the residence was added to house servant’s quarters and stables. The wing extension is now a separate home and is separated by a wall at the back of the house. Westland was originally entered from a stone roadway off of Bayard Lane (now Route 206). Nicely kept paths intersected the broad lawn, which was shaded by an assortment of massive pines. At the rear of the house was an orchard of pear and cherry trees and a dovecote to house pigeons and doves.

Purchased by Cleveland after his second term as president in 1896, the former chief executive lived there from 1897 until his death in 1908. Andrew Fleming West, a Humanities Professor at Princeton assisted Cleveland in securing the purchase of the home and so Cleveland named it, "Westland," in his friend’s honor. During Cleveland occupancy several changes were made to the residence. Cleveland added a two story extension to the right side of the home, with the lower floor serving as his billiard room. Cleveland also made some cosmetic changes to the building’s façade in the Italianate style popular at the time.

Cleveland enjoyed his retirement at Westland. Although he had never attended college, he took an active part in the life of the town, maintained a brisk correspondence with friends, and kept socially and politically active. His favorite recreations were billiards and meetings of the Poverty Club, composed of a group of his comrades who played cards regularly at Westland. The students at Princeton University, who were fond of Cleveland, serenaded him on his birthdays. And, after football games, they led victory parades to his home. He died at Westland in 1908 and is buried in Princeton Cemetery.^[5]

Cleveland's widow, Frances, continued to reside in the house for many years after his death. Today, Westland, while in pristine condition, is privately owned, and thus not open to the public.^[6]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, New Jersey

References