Colross

Colross
Colross, photographed in 1916
General information
Type	Residential
Architectural style	Georgian
Location	Original location: Oronoco Street Alexandria, Virginia Current location: Princeton Day School Princeton, New Jersey
Country	United States
Coordinates	Original location: 38°48′37.72″N 77°3′3.13″W / 38.8104778°N 77.0508694°W / 38.8104778; -77.0508694 (Original location of Colross) Current location: 40°21′43.92″N 74°41′17.88″W / 40.3622000°N 74.6883000°W / 40.3622000; -74.6883000 (Present location of Colross)
Construction started	1799
Client	John Potts Jonathan Swift Lee Massey Alexander Thomson Francis Mason
Owner	John Potts Jonathan Swift Lee Massey Alexander Thomson Francis Mason Arthur "Pen" Pendleton Mason William Albert Smoot John Munn Dr. Geoffrey W. Rake Princeton Day School

Original location:

Current location:

Original location:

Current location:

Colross, (also historically known as Belle Air and Grasshopper Hall), is a Georgian mansion in Princeton, New Jersey; it was built as the center of an estate in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. Colross is currently the administration building of Princeton Day School. The Colross property originally occupied the entire 1100 block of Oronoco Street; Alexandria merchant John Potts developed it as a plantation and began building the mansion in 1799–1800. In 1803, Jonathan Swift—also an Alexandria merchant and a city councilman—purchased the property and during his ownership continued constructing the mansion. After Swift's death in 1824, Colross was purcheased by Thomson Francis Mason (1785–1838), son of Thomson Mason (1759–1820) and grandson of Founding Father George Mason (1725–1792) of Gunston Hall. Mason served as a judge of the Criminal Court of the District of Columbia and as mayor of Alexandria. During his ownership, Mason made Colross his chief homestead; he substantially modified and added to the mansion. After successive ownerships, the area around Colross became heavily industrialized. The mansion was bought by John Munn in 1929; between that year and 1932 it was transported brick-by-brick to Princeton, where in 1958 it was sold to Princeton Day School, which uses it as a school administration building housing its admission and advancement offices.

The Colross mansion is a two-story, brick, Georgian-style structure that features an architectural plan similar to those of Mount Vernon and Woodlawn, and was originally flanked by two wings. The front entrance is covered by a spacious Neoclassical portico supported by wooden doric columns. The roof is topped by a balustraded deck and is further embellished by three Dormer windows.