History of the Bishop House
The Bishop House is a 42-room mansion that was built for James Bishop in 1852. Bishop, an entrepreneur who made his money working in the shipping and rubber industries, was a member of the New Jersey State General Assembly in 1849-50; a Whig member of the 34th U.S. Congress from 1855-57; and the first chief of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of New Jersey from 1878-93. The panic of 1873—which began when the banking firm Jay Cook and Co., Philadelphia, declared bankruptcy—forced Bishop into financial trouble. As a result, he had to sell the Bishop House in 1874. New Brunswick-based Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, acquired the house in 1925. In 1976, the Bishop House was named to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places. Since Rutgers acquired the mansion, it has been the site of several campus events, including a student demonstration protesting increased tuition in 1992. Currently, the Bishop House houses offices for Rutgers College's judicial affairs, disabled affairs and residence life, as well as dean of students, student life and academic life; the Bishop House Volunteer Center; peer counseling; and The Edition Literary magazine.
Additional photos
Photo courtesy of New Brunswick-based Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey/Nick Romanenko.
The Bishop House was built in 1852 and acquired by Rutgers in 1925.
Photos courtesy of Pieros Construction Co. Inc., Somerville, N.J.
Crew members installed Certi-Guard® western red cedar shingles.
Copper details enhanced the roof system.
This picture shows the addition of cedar shingles and a cupola.
Pieros Construction hired P.S. Construction, Kintersville, Pa., to help construct the cupola.
A 100-ton (91-Mg) crane placed the cupola on top of the Bishop House.
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