Mountain Lakes House

Wedding venue in Princeton, New Jersey
A wedding venue also available for memorials, B'nei Mitzvahs, parties and meetings.
Less than two miles from the heart of Princeton and in the midst of the 75-acre Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, the Mountain Lakes House is a world apart and in the center of everything. The tranquil lake that forms the backdrop to the house was created in the late nineteenth century by the damming of Mountain Brook for the production of ice, needed to keep food cold before the days of modern refrigeration. The surrounding woods were once open fields and farms. The former ice company lands were acquired in 1929 by Edgar Palmer, Princeton class of 1903, who declared the lakeside oasis “a splendid spot.” Ownership passed in 1957 to the Clarke family, who commissioned the design of the rambling, Cape Cod style house by Princeton architect Rolf W. Bauhan, whose homes grace the finest neighborhoods in Princeton. The property was saved from development in the late 1980’s by the Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) working in cooperation with the town of Princeton and the Willard Trotter Case Johnson Charitable Trust. The Mountain Lakes House is now the headquarters of FOPOS, and is operated by the nonprofit Mountain Lakes Holding Corporation. The profits generated by its rental for private events support the ongoing work of FOPOS to preserve and protect natural places in Princeton and throughout the region.