About Us

The original Nassau Tavern at 52 Nassau Street was built in 1756 by Judge Thomas Leonard, who spent the last years of his life in view of the college he had helped to bring to Princeton.

When Judge Thomas Leonard passed away in 1759, his elegant residence became a hostelry, which was called College Inn by its new owner. The Inn’s first proprietor was Christopher Beekman, whose natural talent as a host soon established the Inn as the center of the town's life.

Wine and argument flowed freely in Beekman's taproom, or drinking room, where his wife helped tend the punchbowls. Students and townsmen were treated to the news and opinions of honored guests such as Paul Revere, Robert Morris and Thomas Paine, who stayed the night more than once.

In 1775, the Committee of Safety met at College Inn, and a few weeks later, delegates were stopping overnight on their way to the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Signers of the Declaration of Independence, passing through Princeton in 1776, rested at College Inn.

As the war began, military men took the place of travelers. Officers of the Continental Army, as well as the British and Hessians (depending upon which side was in possession of the town), found solace in the taproom offerings. Months later, the Battle of Yorktown and the signing of the Peace Treaty were properly celebrated over College Inn punchbowls. When the Continental Congress met in Princeton in 1783, the national celebrities of the day were guests of the Inn, which was just a few steps from the historic session in Nassau Hall.

At the turn of the 19th century, Christopher Beekman and his wife, Grace Otis Beekman, retired. John Gifford took over the hostelry, changed its name to Nassau Inn and hung a sign picturing Nassau Hall over its entrance.

The 52 Nassau Street establishment closed its doors in 1937, when it had become evident that the town and the University needed a larger, comfortable, and more modern hotel, one that would preserve the traditions of "Old Nass” while providing suitable suites for travelers and college guests. The construction of Nassau Tavern, which was eventually changed to the Nassau Inn, on Palmer Square was the result.