| Wood Lawn | |
| Coordinates: | 40.4817°N -74.4331°W |
| Architecture: | Classical Revival |
| Added: | March 8, 1978 |
| Refnum: | 78001772 |
| Designated Other1 Name: | New Jersey Register of Historic Places |
| Designated Other1 Abbr: | NJRHP |
| Designated Other1 Link: | New Jersey Register of Historic Places |
| Designated Other1 Date: | April 15, 1977 |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 1883[1] |
| Designated Other1 Num Position: | bottom |
| Designated Other1 Color: |
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Wood Lawn is a historic mansion located off Ryders Lane on the Cook Douglass Campus of Rutgers University in the city of New Brunswick in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1978, for its significance in architecture and education.[2] It is currently used by the Eagleton Institute of Politics.[3]
The house was built by Colonel James Neilson (1784–1862) in 1830 on land purchased in 1720 by his mother's grandfather, Johannis Voorhees.[3] Neilson served on the Rutgers Board of Trustees from 1833 until 1862. In 1850, a kitchen wing was added. In 1868, bay window extensions were added by his son, James Neilson (1844–1937), who was a trustee from 1886 until 1937. The last major changes were made by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White in 1905. The previous Victorian architecture was transformed into its present Classical Revival style.[2]