The New Jersey State House

The New Jersey State House was originally built in 1792 by Jonathan Doane. The site was approximately 3.75 acres and cost 250 English pounds, which is about $400 today. The building was two and one-half stories high and consisted of seven bays radiating off a center hall. A bell-tower was situated in the center of the roof. The legislative chambers were located on the first floor- Senate (then the Legislative Council) in the west and General Assembly in the east. The Governor's and judicial offices occupied the second floor.

State government grew steadily for many decades while the State House remained unaltered. Then, in 1845, a major addition was constructed under the direction of John Notman, a well-known Philadelphia architect. He created a one, two and three-story stepped office wing on the north side of the original building, facing what is now State Street. The new entrance had a two-story porch and six fluted Doric columns. A grand rotunda with a stairhall connected the old and new wings. This area was capped by a spherical dome and cupola. A two-story portico with pairs of Corinthian columns and a classical pediment was added to the river-side facade.

In 1865, the river-side portico was extended 68 feet. Another major building campaign began in 1871, when Samuel Sloan, also a Philadelphia architect, was commissioned to modify the northern State Street wing and design new wings for both legislative houses. These two wings flanked the 1865 southern extension. While little detail is known for certain about the final structure, it is believed that the new wings both contained a two-and-one-half-story chamber surrounded by a gallery, offices and caucus rooms. The old Senate chamber was modified to accommodate the Governor's office, while additional offices were created
in the former Assembly chamber.

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