Georgian Court University is located on the former George Jay Gould Estate in Lakewood, New Jersey. Built in 1896 by the son of railroad magnate Jay Gould, construction on the estate began ten years after George Gould married the lovely young actress, Edith Kingdon. A second residence for the Goulds, Georgian Court provided recreation, relaxation and the healthy pine air for the Goulds and their six children. Gould engaged the famous New York architect, Bruce Price, to transform his newly purchased property into a lavish country estate. He had in mind something on the order of the great estates in England and Scotland, the comforts of which he had often enjoyed.
Price drew upon his extensive experience in designing country homes. The two men soon agreed upon the style of an English estate of the Georgian period. Price designed three of the gardens that remain on campus today-the Italian Garden, the Sunken Garden and he Formal Garden, while Takeo Shiota designed the peaceful Japenese Garden. After George Gould's death, his heirs sold the estate to the Sisters of Mercy. On February 4, 1985, Georgian Court University was designated a National Historic Landmark. The University often hosts poetry readings and a frequent reader is Robert Pinsky, former US Poet Laureate, who was born and raised in nearby Long Branch.
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