Joseph Henry House facts for kids
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Joseph Henry House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Mercer County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | Princeton University campus, Princeton, New Jersey |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1836 |
| Part of | Princeton Historic District (ID75001143) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000464 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 12, 1965 |
The Joseph Henry House is a special old building. It is located on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. A famous American scientist named Joseph Henry designed this house in 1836. He was a physicist, which means he studied how the world works, especially things like electricity and magnets (this is called electromagnetics).
Joseph Henry lived in the house from 1838 until 1848. He then became the first leader of the Smithsonian Institution, a very important museum and research center. Princeton University built the house for him to convince him to come work there. They wanted to hire smart people like him to make the university even better.
History of the House
Moving Around
The Joseph Henry House has been moved several times! It's like a traveling house.
- In 1870, it was moved for the first time.
- In 1925, it moved again to make space for the Princeton University Chapel.
- Finally, in 1946, it was moved to where it stands today.
What It Is Now
Today, the Joseph Henry House is on the northern side of the Princeton University campus. It is next to another building called Chancellor Green. The house is now home to Princeton's Adlinger Center for the Humanities. This center helps people study human culture, history, and ideas.
In 1965, the house was recognized as a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important place in American history.
About the Building
The Joseph Henry House is a brick building with two and a half stories. It has a pointed roof called a gabled roof. The front of the house is not perfectly even, with five sections. There is an open porch that goes all the way across the front. Smaller sections, called wings, stick out from the sides.
You can see several chimneys on the roof, but they are not placed in a perfect pattern. The main door is in the middle of the front of the house. Above the door, there is a special window with three small panes of glass.
