Drumthwacket is the official residence of the Governor of New Jersey. The mansion was built in
Princeton, NJ in 1835 in the Greek Revival style. The property, which presently includes about 13
acres, was purchased by the State in 1966. Since 1982 the Drumthacket Foundation has been
responsible for preserving the house and grounds. Several years ago the Foundation determined that
an education and event space ought to be built to accommodate visitors, and the building should
be a New Jersey barn.
Working with the Foundation, we considered several different barn frames as options. The one that
was selected was the Van Nuys Dutch Barn. This building had been constructed in the 18th C about
10 miles North of Princeton. In 1984 friends of ours offered this barn to us because it sat on a
property that was about to be developed. It was a fine frame, but it was in a rather rough condition.
After disassembly, the timbers were removed and stored in a barn for about 40 years.
Working with a Foundation, a major construction company and the State of New Jersey made
this job far more complicated than most. Our standard three page sales agreement became nearly
100 pages. None the less, reassembly of the frame proceeded smoothly and the building has been
completed and is now open to visitors.
