Jenish Patel, Ravi Desai, Kishan Patel
Section 6
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VOORHEES MALL
Jenish Patel via Google Images CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Voorhees Mall is located at the heart of the College Avenue campus at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The nature like scenery along with the old traditional style lecture halls gives this strip of land a campus atmosphere. On one side sits the new honors college dorms buildings, and on the other sit a few buildings built a long time ago such as the church. During the weekdays of the semesters, students are constantly walking through the Voorhees Mall, taking in the beauty of nature and the sights of the buildings and even the statue of William the silent.
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Essay:
For our project we decided to trace Voorhees Mall on the College Ave Campus of Rutgers University. Voorhees Mall is located near downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey. The mall was originally formed in 1903 when a city street by the name of Bleeker Place was closed. After several donations to Rutgers, including what is now known as Voorhees Hall, the grassy mall was named after Ralph and Elizabeth Rodman Voorhees. The sizable donations by the Voorhees show the virtues and selflessness of the Dutch. Originally a $60,000 donation from Mr & Mrs. Voorhees helped build the Ralph Voorhees library which would later become Voorhees Hall. Mrs. Voorhees continued her charitable work by donating an additional $150,000 for enlargements and new equipment in 1907. It is interesting to note that the name “Voorhees” is tied back to a one Steven Coerte. Steven Coerte, his wife, and eight children resided on a farm located near the village of Hees in the Province of Drenthe in north-east Holland around 1660. Under later British rule, he adopted the surname: “Van (before) Voor (village) Hees.” Everyone with the name Voorhees is tied back to him, including Ralph and Elizabeth Rodman Voorhees.
However, Voorhees Mall is not only connected to Rutgers by location. The Mall was also the site of the annual commencement for Rutgers College. More recently, the Mall was used during Rutgers Day for new and current students to enjoy. We decided on Voorhees Mall because not only are many of our classes there but also because it is where we first fully experienced our University on Rutgers Day. It is amazing to see how an area we walk by everyday can be filled with so much history. Voorhees Mall is also home to some historic sites such as the statue of William the Silent. Voorhees Mall not only provides aesthetically pleasing lush fields and statues but also represents some of our rich Dutch history.
Bibliography:
- “Voorhees Mall, Site of Commencement, Rich in Rutgers History.” Voorhees Mall, Site of Commencement, Rich in Rutgers History. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
- “Then and Now: A Photographic Study of Rutgers’ College Avenue Campus, Part 2.” Muckgers. N.p., 30 Apr. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
- “Paths to Historic Rutgers: A Self-Guided Tour.” Rutgers University Libraries: Special Collections and University Archives:. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.