Luxury Living | A Historic Piece of Princeton, New Jersey

One of Princeton University’s greatest benefactors and former owner of Drumthwacket (the estate that serves as the home for New Jersey’s sitting governor), Moses Taylor Pyne is an important figure in the state’s history.

$2,375,000 USD | Princeton, New Jersey | Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International RealtyBuilt as a dairyman’s residence and milk barn, the property at 505 Mercer Road in Princeton, New Jersey is part of the collection of outbuildings Pyne added to Drumthwacket estate in the early twentieth century.

After purchasing the property in 1893 from its original owner, Pyne proceeded to convert the estate into extensively landscaped gardens as well as a model farm, a space for experimenting with new agricultural techniques – a common feature at elegant estates of the period. Pyne’s model farm included Rockwood Dairy, the model dairy that is now the house [at 505 Mercer].

The house, like the other outbuildings added to the estate, was designed by Pyne’s favorite architect, Raleigh C. Gildersleeve, and was completed in 1901.

When the current owners purchased the house directly from the dairyman’s family in 1988, it required extensive updating. Architect Glen Fries, the owner, oversaw the renovations, which preserved many of the stunning original elements of Gildersleeve’s design.

The milk barn, originally designed to process the dairy’s milk, has been converted to office and studio space, connected to the house by a colonnade. Pyne spared no expense in his milk barn, which features the famous arched tilework of Rafael Guastavino, who tiled many New York City subway stations, Ellis Island, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, among other iconic landmarks. These tiled spaces remain there today.

Discover more of this historic home on sothebysrealty.com