Concept of Campus

    The word "Campus" is very important to us. Do you know what it means? University? Collection of buildings? Place to meet students? It was John Witherspoon who produced this word. Witherspoon was the sixth president of the College of New Jersey (now called Princeton University), and served for 25 years. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Before him, the college consisted of one building called Nassau Hall, but many new buildings were added during his presidency. After seeing those buildings springing up, he came with the word "Campus."



Princeton Campus

    Nassau Hall (top) and the
    commencement ceremony of 1961
  • Nassau Hall. Princeton's protocol requires that this building be placed first in every Princeton photo collection. This main administration building was once George Washington's capitol of the United States. A fierce combat took place in and around this building during the Independence War.
    1. Nassau Hall viewed from a different angle.
    2. Nassau Hall after light snow (January 2009).

    3. Two Tigers at the entrance to the Hall.
    4. Two Tigers and a rear view of Nassau Hall. Tigers and humans.
    5. Two Tigers seen from the Nassau Hall.

    6. Putnam Sculpture and a side view of Nassau Hall.
    7. Commencement of 1961 in front of Nassau Hall. I was there.

    8. Did you know Princeton was once the capital city of the United States? The Nassau served as George Washington's government building.

    Historic Alexander Hall

  • Alexander Hall. This building has a complicated history, but it is clear that many important meetings were held in the auditorium of this building.
    1. Back of Alexander Hall. Many exciting events take place here.

  • John Witherspoon (1723-1794). He came from Scotland and became the 6th president of Princeton University in 1768. Witherspoon was the first president who knew how to build a college of the form known today. He invented the word campus. He was a Presbyterian minister and was a strict moralist. Thanks to him, my PhD diploma of 1961 says "This person is morally perfect!"
    Pyne Hall is in the background. This old building is used for many different purposes, including the comptroller's office, student meeting rooms, cafeterias, etc.

    Firestone Library seen from Washington Raod

    Prospect Garden Fountain

  • Firestone Library. This building is also Princeton's landmark. In addition to a study place for students, the library contains many books and documents of historical importance.
    1. View from Washington Road.
    2. View from Nassau Street.

  • Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library contains many inportant manuscripts, including PhD dessertations. Let us look at
    1. View from the opposite direction.
    2. Entrance. This climatic-controlled building has its entrance. You can go in and ask for a xerox coy of Feynman's PhD thesis.
    3. Feynman's Thesis. Selected pages available from the University Archives, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library. Courtesy of Princeton University Library.

  • Prospect Garden used to be the presidential mansion located at the center of the Campus. It is now used for a faculty club.
    1. Another View of the Prospect Garden.
    2. Fountain at the Garden.

    Picasso's image of a woman stretched (copied from the PU Alumni Weekly)

  • Art Museum has a very respectable collection of art works. I once asked the museum director how he got those expensive items. He said Princeton has many rich alumni.
    1. Picasso Sculpture used to be in front of the Art Museum. This art piece called the "Head of a Woman" was constructed by a Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar in 1971 under the supervision of Pablo Picasso. This sculpture has been moved to a corner of the campus near the railroad station. The campus made a mistake.
    2. Extension of Picasso's Imagination. The Princeton Alumni Weekly in its issue of April 6 (2011) carried this drawing of the Picasso woman. It related the woman's face with book pages.

    3. Joseph and General's Wife. I heard the story of Joseph in Egypt from my grandmother when I was 9 years old. I still remember her expression when she was talking about how Joseph was arrested. She had to skip the details because she knew I was too young to understand what a woman can do to a man.

    4. Greek jar in the Greek section.
    5. A statue in the Indian section.
    6. Roman floor in the Roman section.
    7. Items in the Egyptian section
    8. Goerge Washington and Marilyn Monroe in the American room.

    A tense moment in the Stadium

  • Palmer Stadium. Princeton's Football Stadium
    1. Jadwin Gymnasium.
    2. DeNuzio Pool. Princeton's Swimming Pool.
    3. Lake Carnegie. This lake is relatively narrow but long, and it is ideal for canoe race (1983). This lake is between the campus and the US Route 1.
      Lake Carnegie during the winter time (1960).
      Frozen Lake (1960).
      Lake Carnegie on Sunday morning (2007).
  • McCosh Health Center. If you become tired and exhausted, you can spend one, two, or even three nights here under nurse's care. I spent three nights here in 1961. I was 25 years old, and the nurse was about 50 years old (like my mother). It was like home.

    Cleveland Tower of the Graduate College

    Entrance to Graduate College Quadrangle

    The Commons Room of the
    Graduate College

    Piere Sabatier (right) in gown.
    The other person is also in gown
    but is bare-footed.

  • Graduate College (1961, 2000, 2008).
    In 2008. I went to the Graduate Collge in 1958 for the first time. Fifty years later, in 2008, I went there again. Every thing seemed to be the same, but there was one difference. There are now female students. Princeton used to be an all-male univerity.

    The Graduate College has a history. When Woodrow Wilson was the president of the University, he was interested in building the Graduate College building at the center of the campus, perhaps near the Prospect Garden. The College was to include residence halls for graduate students. However, the rest of the University was against his idea. At that time, the concept of graduate education did not sound exciting to the University community. Eventually the College was built at a location about one km away from the center of the campus. Woodrow Wilson was so upset that he had to seek a new position. He became the governor of New Jersey, and then the president of the United States. Let us look at a photo of

    1. Woodrow Wilson in Versailles with Raymond Poincare, the president of France (1920).

    2. Cleveland Tower at the Graduate College.
    3. Graduate College Commons Room, where many things happen.
    4. Bicycles parked at the Graduate College quadrangle. Since classes are held in the main campus (1 km away from the College), graduate students need transportation.
    5. Proctor Hall has been and still is the main dining hall of the Graduate College. When I was a student (1958-61), we had to wear black academic gowns, but I did not like the gown.
    6. Pierre Sabatier was an exchange student from France loved to be formal (1958-59). In this photo, he (tall man) is wearing the gown in preparation for the Proctor-Hall dinner. As in this photo, he used to insist on French way of living. I like to know who the other person in the photo was (photo courtesy of Dieter Brill). Like to see Sabatier's recent photo? another photo! He is now an important person at the Univ. of Montpelier in France, and likes to worry about the physics of waves.
    7. I was also wearing the gown. I am the tallest person in this photo.
    8. Princeton Inn seen from the Graduate College ground. It used to be a very expensive hotel, but it is now used as an undergraduate dormitory called Forbes College.
  • Marriage Penalty. Married students live in this village called "Butler Barracks." These temporary buildings were built in 1945 for WWII veterans, and the streets in this village are named after the famous generals such as Eisenhower and Patton. The University later took over these barracks to accommodate married graduate students. These barracks are now more than 60 years old, but they still play an essential role in Princeton's graduate education. They keep saying these barracks will be replaced by luxury apartments soon, but they were still there in January of 2011.

    Blair Hall and Blair Beach

  • Dormitories The campus of Princeton University largely consists of undergraduate dormitories. Dormitory buildings constructed in recent years.
    1. Blair Hall Blair Beach Dorms.
    2. Princeton Inn used to be an expensive hotel across the golf course from the Graduate College. It is now one of the undergraduate colleges called "Forbes College."
    3. Wilcox Hall. One of the undergraduate dining halls. This building was completed in 1961 with a gift from the Wilcox estate. Ferdinand Wilcox was from the Class of 1900, and died in 1958.
    4. Chefs making omelettes for Sunday brunch.
    5. Students enjoying a late brunch. There were no girls on campus when I was a student (1958-61). The Wilcox Hall was for meetings of campus groups.
    6. Eating Clubs on Prospect Avenue.
    7. Prospect Avenue after light snow.

  • Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. This building was constructed while I was a graduate student (1958-61). The style was controversial because its appearance is quite different from those of other buildings of the University. The construction was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, a financial giant at that time.
    1. Wilson's Bust in the main lobby of the building. I had a photo with him in 2013.


    2. Syngman Rhee was Wilson's student, and he received his PhD degree in 1910. He became the founding president of Korea in 1948 and started building his country modeled after the United States under many difficult conditions, including three years of the Korean War (1950-53). It is very safe to say that Rhee was Wilson's most accomplished student. The main lecture hall of this School is now called "Syngman Rhee Lecture Hall." I had a photo of myself there.

      This is Rhee's photo with Harry Truman taken at Truman's home in Missouri (1954).

    3. Adlai Stevenson was also a distinguished Princeton graduate. With my camera in 1961, I took a photo of Stevenson who came to his 50th alumni reunion. He was the ambassador to the United Nations. I was very happy to have a photo of myself with Stevenson's bust in the main lobby of this building in 2013.
    4. Future Secretary of State. This undergraduate student was studying the world during the winter break (January 2002).

    Department of Economics(top),
    Engineering School.

  • The Department of Economics is next to the Wilson School. Here is another view of this Econ building. As this department is mentioned often in the media, many young people come to study economics. Their ultimate aim is the Nobel prize in economics.

    When I was a student, everybody had to be a physicist. These days, everybody has to be a banker. Princeton seems to set the trend.

  • Entrance to the Engineering Quadrangle. I was inside this quadrangle sometime ago, but not in recent years with my camera. I hope in the future to take some photos inside this quadrangle. I am particularly interested in their chemical and electrical engineering programs.

  • Department of Computer Science. Princeton has a very strong computer science program in the tradition of John von Neumann. Here is a photo taken from a different direction.

    Entrance to Palmer Lab.

    Entrance to (old) Fine Hall
    (now called Brown Hall)

  • Palmer Physical Laboratory. The first physics building, where Feynman and Weinberg studied. I was old enough to studied here. Photo courtesy of the Princeton University Library.
    1. Front of the Palmer Lab. Incoming graduate students of 1968.
    2. Old Photo of Palmer Laboratory, a postcard from Pat Klein through eBay.
    3. Another Old Photo, from Dada Mecantile (Pioneer, California).
    4. Fine Hall was next to Palmer Lab. This building was for the mathematics department, but Wigner's office was there. The physics library was also there. I spent more time in the Fine Hall library than in Palmer Lab. I used to take naps there when I was tired. Indeed, the Fine Hall Library was my Princeton address. This building is now called Brown Hall.
    5. Palmer Lab became the "Frist Campus Center" and the "Center for Asian Studies." When I was a student (1958-61), I was a very unusual student because of my Asian origin. Times have changed.

    6. Jadwin Hall. The physics programs are housed in Jadwin Hall. This is a photo of the Jadwin quadrangle.
    7. Jadwin Hall Entrance. Two young physicists in front of the entrance.
  • Cosmic Ray Laboratory. This building, now called the Elementary Particles Lab, was built as a temporary building during the WW-II period. This is one of the permanent temporary buildings on the campus. My physics career started from this building.

    Forrestal Campus of Princeton

  • The James Forrestal Campus of Princeton is about 10 km away from the main campus. This place has a very interesting history, but I still do not know whether it is legal to take photos of this place or post them on webpages. This research center was constructed originally for fusion research.
    1. Project Matterhorn. Encouraged by the success of the hydrogen bomb in 1952, American scientists initiated a program to develop controlled fusion for generating clean energy using only hydrogen isotops. This project was heavily funded by the U.S. government. I remember seeing two huge energy-storing flywheels. The idea was to release the energy in a very short period of time to create high enough temperature to trigger a thermo-nuclear reaction. This was one of the ideas which did not work. Yet, they tried every possible method for more than 30 years.
    2. PPPL. These days, the main function of this Forrestal campus is the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, still heavily funded by the U.S.government. It serves as the world headquarters of plasma physics.
    3. PPPL Offers Twice-Monthly Public Tours.

    Einstein's House, and
    his photo with Irina Joliet-Curie

  • How did Einstein come to Princeton?
    1. Einstein lived in this house at 112 Mercer Street.
    2. He walked to his office in the morning along this route.
    3. His office was in the Fuld Hall of the Institute for Advanced Study. Here is another view of this building.
    4. Back of the Fuld Hall.
    5. You are invited to my website dedicated to Einstein.
    6. Einstein's Abel and Cain. He did meet too many people while in Princeton. Among the people he met, he liked some and disliked others.

    7. John von Nuemann was also a permanent member of the Institute.
    8. Library. I am with an Italian history professor from Naples. The Institute is known for its physics and mathematical programs. Equally strong is its history program.

  • Westminster Choir College. This is a music college in Princeton.
    1. Main Building of the Choir College.
    2. Christmas Morning at Einstein's House. The student choir of this college used sing Christmas carols in front of Einstein's house to tell Einstein the Christ has come.

    Brown Hall of Princeton Theological Seminary

  • Princeton Theological Seminary is one of the most Prestigious Presbyterian seminaries in the world. This building, called Brown Hall, is most visible from College Road linking the Graduate College of the University and the main campus of the University.
    1. Alexander Hall is another
    2. Modern-style residence halls.
    3. Miller Chapel is a very important place of worship for the future Christian leaders studying at the Seminary.
    4. Main Library. This Seminary is at the level of graduate school, and is a research institution.
    5. Templeton Hall is the main administrative building of the Seminary.
    6. MacKay Campus Center where student activities take place.
    7. Apartment Building for visitors from foreign lands.

    Princeton Garden is the only movie house in Princeton

  • Princeton Garden. This was one of the two movie theaters operating when I was a student. This photo was taken in 2013.
    1. I watched Melina Mercurie's Never on Sunday here in 1960.
    2. Forty two years later, on January 11 (2002), I was standing next to the box office, and invited to pose with me a gentle lady passing by. She sensed that I am a Princeton graduate and told me it was her first time to be held by a Princeton boy. I like to meet her again.
    3. I was there after a snow storm. I could not tell when this photo was taken.

    Wine bottles at the Mediterra

    Photo from Kazan

  • Princeton Play House. The other movie theater was called "Princeton Playhouse" on Hulfish Street behind the Nassau Inn. At this location, there is now an Italian restaurant called "Mediterra."
    1. In 1960, in this movie house, I watched a Soviet film entitled "Cranes are flinging." A Soviet actress named "Tatyana Samoilova" starred in this film. I have a story to tell about this Russian lady.
    2. I also watched the Ivan the Terrible, Volume I and Volume II, produced by Sergei Eisenstein. These movies were so different from American cinemas that I did some research on Eisenstein. Click here for a story. Indeed, Eisensteinn's original idea became the guiding principle for my wegpages. Click here for a story.
    3. Volume I of the Ivan the Terrible tells about the Volga city of Kazan. When I made my first visit to Kazan in 1999, Russians there asked me when I first heard about their city. I then aanswered "Ivan the Terrible." They laughed. Here is my webpage dedicated to Kazan

  • Campus Railroad Terminal. It takes ten minutes to reach Princeton Junction from this small campus station. This building seems to be empty these days, as the railroad became less important.
    1. Princeton Junction. The railroad station on the other side of the US-1.

    Stores around Palmer Square

  • Palmer Square and Princeton Tiger. They seem to worship the Tiger in Princeton. This Square on Nassau Streent is on the opposite side of Alexander Hall.
    1. viewed from the west side from the Square.
    2. viewed from the east side.
    3. Palmer Square Shops on north side.
    4. Visitors from France resting on a bench on Nassau Street (2008). They came fron Nice on Cote d'Azur. Their boy is interested in coming to Princeton for his college education. It was very easy to talk to them because I was at their place twice.

    Shops on Witherspoon Street

    Hamilton Jewelers on Nassau Street

  • U Store, Princeton University Store. Like to buy Princeton things from this store?
    1. Entrance to U Store at University Place.
    2. Nassau Street Stores. Most of the U-Store transactions are now handled by designated retailers on Nassau Street.
    3. Shops on Witherspoon Street. There are also good restaurants.
    4. Shops on Chamber Street. Princeton needs some exclusive stores.
    5. Princeton Shopping Center. Resting Place.
    6. Hamilton Jewelers, located at the center of town (across Nassau Street from Nassau Hall). This European-style building tells Princeton was a place for rich people. It was Woodrow Wilson who strengthened Princeton's academic programs. Among the many reforms he introduced, Wilson developed the graduate school which was initiated one year before he became the president of the University (1902-1910). Yet, Princeton still could not completely shake off its reputations as an exclusive university for sons and daughters of rich and famous people.



    John Foster Dulles (top)
    and Michell Obama

  • Nassau Inn I stayed in this hotel in 1991. I stayed there again in September of 2013. The Inn looked like this in 2013.

    On the west side of this hotel is the entrance to the Yankee Doodle Tap and Restaurant.

    The Yankee Doodle Tap is a drinking room directly accessible from the hotel registration lobby on the east side. On the walls of this room, there are portraits of many famous Princeton graduates, including

    1. James Forrestal was the first secretary of defense when the department was created in 1947. During World War II, there were several independent departments performing war duties, including the depts. of war, army and navy. These agencies became combined into one department. Princeton's Forrestal Campus is named after him. It is believed that the Forrestal Research Center carried out the basic fusion research leading to the hydrogen bomb.
    2. John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State (1953-59). Here is a webpage dedicated to him.
    3. Adlai Stevenson, who ran against Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and again in 1956. He was the ambassador to the United Nations during the Kennedy administration, covering the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. He served his country well. His bust is in the main lobby of the Woodrow Wilson School for public affairs.
    4. Michelle Obama is of course the First Lady of the United States.

    5. James Baker served as the secretary of the treasury for Ronald Reagan (1985-88), and the secretary of state for George H. Bush (1989-92). He also served his country well.
    6. Ralph Nader. His name is also familiar to us. He is a very strong consumer advocate. He once attempted to run for the president, but did not do too well. Here is the Wikipedia page for him.
    7. Brooke Shields, while a student at Princeton (1983-84), was the most beautiful American girl.
      Click here her photos I took on her graduation day in 1987.

    8. There are many more photos, and I hope to post them when I have time.

    This hotel used to be and still is a good place to meet the girls from rich and famous families. There are many party rooms and sit-down places in the building including the Yankee Doodle Restaurant.


      When I was a graduate student (1958-61), I was afraid of those girls. I think these days I am established enough to talk to them and have photos with them. Let me show you some photos taken in 2013.

    1. These ladies are from Seattle. They came to see their brothers and sisters studying in Princeton. I proposed photos with them.

      Many people hold their wedding parties at this hotel. Girls dress up nicely for these occasions.

    2. These girls are in the bridal party. I was very happy to have a photo with them. They made me to think about my student days more than 50 years earlier.
    3. These ladies came to their friend's wedding party. They were very happy to have a photo with a Princeton boy.

    There used to be a restaurant called Green House Restaurant adjacent to the Nassau Inn. It is now a Swiss chocolate store.

    Princeton's Annex Restaurant on Nassau Street

    Lahere's French restaurant on Withersoon Street

  • Annex Restaurant. Moderately priced place on Nassau Street. I used to go there very often.
    1. Paul A, M. Dirac, at this restaurant, met Wigner's sister who later became his wife.
    2. This place is now an Italian restaurant called "Sotto." The barber shop is still there.

  • La Hiere's French Restaurant on Witherspoon Street. It was an expensive place. I used to go there occasionally when I was a student. Einstein used to go there before my time. I was there again in 2008 and has this photo of myself standing next to Einstein's photo. This landmark restaurant was closed in 2010, after 91 years of operation.
    1. Mediterra Restaurant is on Hulfish Street behind the Nassau Inn. This is a decent Italian-American place, expensive but affordable. At this location, there is an movie theater was called "Princeton Playhouse" showing many movies of historical significance.
    2. Witherspoon Grill on Witherspoon Street is also a restaurant which did not exist when I was a student (1958-61).
    3. Princetonian Diner is a moderately priced diner on US-1. I used go there often with my friends when I was a student.

    Hyatt Regency Hotel (entrance),
    and its dining area

  • Hyatt Regency Hotel accommodates many visitors to Princeton. It has elegant lobbies and dining places. This hotel hosts many international conferences.
    1. The entrance to the hotel looks like this.
    2. The Dining Area with tropical environment.
    3. Fish Ponds enhance the environment of the main lobby and the dining area.
    4. Many Interesting People. I meet many interesting people in this hotel. These three young ladies are from the Princeton area. I asked them why they are staying in this hotel while their homes are so close. They said the hotel has an excellent swimming pool. They were staying there in order to swim. intersection of Alexander Road and US-1. This hotel is relatively new, and did not exist when I was a student. I meet my friends and colleagues at the restaurant in this hotel. Actress Brooke Shields used to come here with her mother.
    5. I usually stay in this hotel when I go to Princeton with my wife.
    6. Birthday Parties. There are many birthday parties held in this hotel. In 2004, I gave my wife her birthday party in this hotel, but I did not invite anyone else. As for party decorations, I used a balloon left over from someone else's birthday party.

    Photo by Orren Jack Turner (1947)

  • Orren Jack Turner Photo Studio. Orren Jack Turner (1920-2008) was an American soldier during World War II. After the war, he inherited his father's photo studio on Nassau Street. The studio was on the second floor of this gray building directly across the street from Nassau Hall. His father opened this studio in 1909 and started taking photos of Princeton's football games.
    1. In 1947, he produced this photo of Albert Einstein, and used to own its copyright. He then donated his copyright to the U.S. Library of Congress. This photo is now in the public domain.
    2. In 1961, Orren Jack Turner photographed me the day before by commencement. In this photo, I am with my father.
    3. In 1959, my mother sent me a Canon camera, and I started taking photos. I am not a professional photographer, but I seem to know how to combine them to produce abstract concepts. For instance, I produced my own concept of the Garden of Eden.
    4. Einstein's House. I am standing in front of the house in which Einstein lived until 1955.

  • P-rade. Parade of Princeton Alumni. Annual Event. Affluent Society!

  • Einstein Magazine tells more about Einstein.


In addition to the University, Princeton hosts many interesting research and commercial organizations.


    Sarnoff Corporation
  • Sarnoff Corporation. On the east side of the US-1, there is the campus of Sarnoff Corporation. It used to be the David Sarnoff Research Laboratory of RCA (Radio Corporation of America). RCA disappeared, but Sarnoff did not.
    1. Campus of Sarnoff Corporation.
    2. David Sarnoff converted Maxwell's equations into electronic industry.

  • Dow Jones Co. is about 10 km from Sarnoff Co. This company is known to produce a four-digit number everyday telling how American companies are doing. This is a big company with a large number of researchers.
    1. Tight Security. I was not able to enter the campus. I did not have security credentials.

  • Otsuko is a Japanese pharmaceutical company. The company's North American operational base is just next to the Hyatt hotel.
    1. Another View of this huge building.

    Nordisk Corporation in Princeton

    Johnson and Johnson in New Brunswick

  • Novo Nordisk is a Danish pharmaceutical company, and its American headquarter is near Princeton's Forrestal campus.
    1. Flags. The company is proud of its Danish origin.

  • Johnson and Johnson is one of the giant health-care companies, and its headquarters is in New Brunswick about 50 km north from Princeton. In the area between these two citites, there are dozens of J & J establishments. I could not go to all of them to take photos, but their New Brunswick base seems to be very important.
    1. Rutgers. To us, New Brunswick is known as the home of Rutgers University. The Johnson and Johnson headquarters is right next to the main building (where the president's office is ) of Rutgers.
    2. J&J Research Center next to the company headquarters.
    3. Another J&J Building. This tall building serves as the landmark of New Brunswick.

  • New York City is only 60 kilometers away from Princeton. It takes one hour to go to New York by train or bus. I used to go there very often.

How did I talk to Einstein?