Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
A_2_005 |
Title |
[Borough Hall, 1936-1967] |
Collection |
Photo Archives |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Photographer |
Greiff, Constance M. |
Year Range from |
1936 |
Year Range to |
1967 |
Description |
Thomson Hall or Belgrade, 50 Stockton Street; used as Borough Hall from 1936-1967. The house was built in 1825 by Charles Steadman. In the 1870s, owner Josephine Thomson Swann renovated the house to give it a more Victorian appearance, adding the mansard roof shown in this image. This picture shows Thomson Hall during the period from 1936-1967 when it served as Princeton's Borough Hall. Thomson Hall was commissioned by Richard "The Duke" Stockton, son of the signer of the Declaration of Independence, for his daughter Annis Stockton and her new husband John Renshaw Thomson. John Renshaw Thomson was a U.S. Senator and Secretary of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company. After Annis Stockton's death, Thomson remarried. His widow, Josephine Thomson Swann, continued to live in Thomson Hall after Thomson's death. In 1906, she left the estate to the town of Princeton. From 1906 through 1936, Thomson Hall was used as a community center, while the stables of the estate housed Borough Hall. From 1936 through 1967, the municipal offices occupied Thomson Hall. |
Place |
Princeton, NJ |
Print size |
7 1/2" x 9" |
Subjects |
Buildings Municipal government Town halls Porches |
People |
Swann, Josephine A. T. (Josephine Antoinette), -1906. Thomson, John R. (John Renshaw), 1800-1862. Stockton, Annis Stockton, Richard Stockton, Richard, 1764-1828 |
Search Terms |
Borough Hall Stockton Street Stockton Family Thomson Hall Belgrade |
Notes |
In pencil on back of photo: A-2 Borough Hall 1936-1967 50 Stockton St CG |
Provenance |
A_9_t_002 and A_9_t_003 appear to be prints of the same image. A_9_t_003 is stamped: "Photograph by Constance Greiff, Princeton N.J., Please credit." |