College Tours,  History

Fairleigh Dickinson University | Madison and Florham Park Campus, New Jersey

August 4, 2015 / 32 Comments
Fairleigh Dickinson University Main Building

Fairleigh Dickinson

Fairleigh Dickinson University is the largest private university in New Jersey with two campuses in the Garden State, one center in Canada, and another in England. 

It was founded by Dr. Peter Sammartino and his wife, Sally, and named after the benefactor Colonel Fairleigh S. Dickinson, who founded Becton Dickinson. 

The Campus at Florham’s address is on Madison Avenue in Madison, New Jersey. 

Right down Madison Avenue is another fine New Jersey institution of higher learning, Drew University.

 
This area of the road, stretching from Madison to Morristown, was known as Millionaire’s Row. 

Many wealthy families lived here, including those with the names of Dodge, Morgan, Gibbons, Twombly, and Vanderbilt. 

The road also included the estate of Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly (the granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was the richest man in America) and her husband Hamilton McKown Twombly. 

They built their estate, Florham, which comes from combining their two first names. 

The name of their estate was eventually combined with the name of another estate to form Florham Park, New Jersey (I wrote about the Little Red Schoolhouse in Florham Park two weeks ago).

This is important because the Florham mansion eventually became the heart of the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson. The sprawling campus is actually located both in Madison and Florham Park. 

The 100-room estate was designed by the preeminent architect Stanford White and the grounds designed by Frederick Olmsted, who designed Central Park (and Branch Brook Park in Newark). 

Olmsted is considered the founder of American landscape architecture.

Fairleigh Dickinson University campus
Fairleigh Dickson University

On your way to the main building, you will see Reuter’s Rock. 

During the school year, students will paint important messages on the Rock about current campus events. 

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This large building, now known as “The Mansion,” is now the main campus building at FDU. 

Administrative offices and classes and lectures are offered here.

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Fairleigh Dickinson University Mansion
Fairleigh Dickinson University Mansion

As the university website says: 

The landscape was planned by Frederick Law Olmsted, who is renowned as the designer of New York City’s Central Park. The surviving principal buildings, designed in Georgian style by the firm McKim, Mead, & White in the 1890s, have been adapted for educational uses. The 100-room mansion Hennessy Hall, centerpiece of the campus, is a work of Stanford White; it is a replica of a wing in King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court. Most of its interior decorations (such as staircases and fireplaces) are in Italian marble, worked by craftsmen brought from the same country. In addition to classrooms and offices, the Hennessy Hall holds Hartman Lounge — the chestnut-paneled former billiard room — and the Lenfell Hall drawing room.

The inside rooms are ornate and very beautiful. I took interior photos with my iPhone 5.

Fairleigh Dickinson University Main Building
Fairleigh Dickinson University Mansion

To read more about the history of Fairleigh Dickinson University and the educational programs offered, visit their website!  

The university currently offers more than 100 different degree programs!

You can read more about the Florham estate, including links to some wonderful photographs and articles about Florence Vanderbilt and her family, here. 

You may also wish to read about Saint Elizabeth University and Georgian Court University.

Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!

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