Formerly: College Inn · Nassau Tavern
Princeton, New Jersey · Founded 1769 · Building: 1937–1938
A Princeton hotel with roots in an 18th-century Nassau Street inn, rebuilt at Palmer Square in 1937–1938 and home to the Yankee Doodle Tap Room.
Nassau Inn operates at 10 Palmer Square East in Princeton, New Jersey, with the Yankee Doodle Tap Room on site. The inn traces its history to College Inn, which reportedly opened in 1769 in Judge Thomas Leonard's former 1756 house at 52 Nassau Street. The original inn closed and was demolished in 1937; the current Palmer Square hotel opened in 1938, preserving the name and some traditions but not the original building.
Nassau Inn says Judge Thomas Leonard built a house at 52 Nassau Street, later associated with the first inn site.
Source: Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"
Nassau Inn's current historical account says Judge Thomas Leonard died in 1759.
Source: Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"
Nassau Inn traces its origins to College Inn, a hostelry at 52 Nassau Street associated with Christopher Beekman.
Source: Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"; NorthJersey.com, "Drink a cocktail and admire a Norman Rockwell painting"
The former College Inn became known as Nassau Tavern or Nassau Inn in the early 19th century, though this review did not verify an exact renaming year.
Source: Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"; NorthJersey.com, "Drink a cocktail and admire a Norman Rockwell painting"
The 52 Nassau Street inn closed as the Palmer Square redevelopment proceeded, and the original building was demolished.
Source: Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"; Historic Hotels of America announcement via Palmer Square
A new, larger Nassau Inn opened at Palmer Square, establishing the present hotel location.
Source: Nassau Inn historical summaries; NorthJersey.com, "Drink a cocktail and admire a Norman Rockwell painting"
Norman Rockwell's large Yankee Doodle mural was created for the taproom according to contemporary local reporting and Historic Hotels of America material. Nassau Inn's current history instead dates the mural to 1939, leaving the exact year unresolved.
Source: NorthJersey.com, "Drink a cocktail and admire a Norman Rockwell painting"; Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The 18th-century inn stood at 52 Nassau Street. It closed and was demolished in 1937, while the present Palmer Square Nassau Inn opened as a new hotel in 1938.
The original 52 Nassau Street establishment closed in 1937 and was demolished. A new Nassau Inn later opened at Palmer Square, so neither uninterrupted operation at one location nor survival of the original structure is supported.
The inn presents Einstein's initials as a rumor, and its own account notes that generations of patrons have left initials on oak surfaces. This review found no independent evidence proving that a particular carving was made by Einstein.
The mural is visibly associated with the taproom, and multiple current sources identify it as Rockwell's Yankee Doodle work created for the Nassau Inn. The exact year remains disputed in the source set: local reporting and Historic Hotels material say 1937, while Nassau Inn's current history says 1939.
Nassau Inn markets the taproom as Princeton's oldest pub by tracing hotel history back to the 18th century. The predecessor inn closed and its building was demolished in 1937 before the present hotel opened, and this review did not conduct the comparative and continuity research needed to establish a citywide oldest-pub title.
The Nassau Inn at Palmer Square is the original 1756 or 1769 colonial building.
The original inn stood at 52 Nassau Street and closed in 1937 before being demolished. The current Nassau Inn is a later Palmer Square building that opened in 1938.
Source: Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"; Historic Hotels of America announcement via Palmer Square
Nassau Inn has operated continuously at the same site since 1769.
The original Nassau Street establishment closed in 1937, and a new hotel opened at Palmer Square in 1938. The current inn maintains a historical lineage, but not continuous operation in the original building or at the original site.
Source: Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"; NorthJersey.com, "Drink a cocktail and admire a Norman Rockwell painting"
Norman Rockwell's Yankee Doodle mural is definitively dated to 1937.
Local reporting and Historic Hotels material date the mural to 1937, but Nassau Inn's current historical page dates it to 1939. The exact date needs archival confirmation.
Source: NorthJersey.com, "Drink a cocktail and admire a Norman Rockwell painting"; Nassau Inn, "About The Nassau Inn"
Nassau Inn survived as an institutional Princeton hotel by being remade for the Palmer Square redevelopment rather than remaining in its original building. The current hotel serves university visitors, alumni, local events, and travelers, while the Yankee Doodle Tap Room's Rockwell mural gives the newer building a distinct historic draw.
Nassau Inn in Princeton, New Jersey, traces its lineage to College Inn, a hostelry that reportedly opened at 52 Nassau Street in 1769. The original inn closed and its building was demolished in 1937 for the Palmer Square redevelopment, and a new Nassau Inn opened at its present Palmer Square location in 1938. The current hotel includes the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, known for its large Norman Rockwell mural.
No. The original inn stood at 52 Nassau Street, closed in 1937, and was demolished during redevelopment of the area. The present Nassau Inn is a later Palmer Square hotel built in 1937–1938.
The Yankee Doodle Tap Room repeats a story that Albert Einstein carved his initials into one of its oak surfaces. Nassau Inn itself describes the carving as rumored, and this review did not locate independent evidence that proves Einstein made it.
Nassau Inn is not established by this review as New Jersey's oldest continuously operating inn. Its institutional roots are traced to 1769, but the original inn closed in 1937, its building was demolished, and the current Palmer Square hotel opened later in a new structure.
10 Palmer Square E, Princeton, NJ 08542
(609) 921-7500
Nassau Inn and the Yankee Doodle Tap Room operate at Palmer Square; confirm current dining hours and reservations with the hotel before visiting.