What we at Monmouth University now call "The Great Hall" stands on the site of an earlier mansion called "Shadow Lawn." This earlier wooden home was designed by architect Henry Edward Cregier and completed in 1903 for John McCall, President of the New York Life Insurance Company. The home had several owners over the years, including department store magnate Joseph Greenhut (who famously invited President Woodrow Wilson to use the house while campaigning for re-election in 1916). Its last owner was Hubert Templeton Parson, President of the F.W. Woolworth Company. He and his wife had recently renovated their home when it was consumed by a fire in 1927. For more on the history of the original Shadow Lawn, we recommend Jim Reme and Tova Navarra's Monmouth University.
After the wooden Shadow Lawn mansion succumbed to fire, what we now call "The Great Hall," designed primarily by pioneering African American architect Julian Abele, rose in its place. We hope you enjoy these photos of the Great Hall over the years and in different seasons.
