Albert Einstein’s House: 112 Mercer Street, Princeton

112 Mercer Street in Princeton, New Jersey, served as the residence of the renowned physicist Albert Einstein from 1935 until his death in 1955. The modest two-story home became a pivotal space for Einstein's work and personal life, where he lived alongside family and close associates. Following his passing, the house remained in the family until 1986, when it was acquired by the Institute for Advanced Study, the independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry where Einstein served on the Faculty. Today, the Institute continues to oversee the property, maintaining it as a private residence in accordance with Einstein's wishes. The house remains a symbol of Einstein's legacy and contributions to science.

112 Mercer Street was originally constructed in 1838 on Alexander Street in downtown Princeton. It was moved to its existing location during the 1870s to make space for new buildings. Einstein purchased the home in 1935, having initially arrived in Princeton in October 1933 while fleeing Nazi persecution and assassination attempts. Despite these dangers, his scientific work never ceased: even during his three-week hideout in the English countryside, he continued his research into unified field theory, a topic that also occupied him while at the Institute. Although he never returned to Europe, Einstein remained an outspoken political activist and worked to help refugees escape Hitler’s Germany and come to the United States. He was deeply committed to this cause, opening his Princeton home to Jewish refugee children as World War II progressed. Eventually, he was also able to smuggle his furniture out of Germany using fake names and bring it to his home on Mercer Street. 

Located a convenient mile from the Institute for Advanced Study campus, Einstein lived in the house until his death in 1955. He was known to make the daily walk to IAS with his neighbor Kurt Gödel, who was associated with the Institute from his first Membership in the School of Mathematics in 1933–34 until his death in 1978. The ritual was immensely important to Einstein, who pronounced that he only went into the office “to have the privilege of walking home with Kurt Gödel.” 

The house also served as an intellectual hub for meetings between Einstein, Gödel, and a number of visitors. During the winter of 1943–44, such visitors included British intellectual Bertrand Russell and Wolfgang Pauli, a frequent Member in the Institute’s School of Mathematics/Natural Sciences, who met with Einstein and Gödel on a weekly basis. In addition to this, Einstein welcomed a variety of political figures to his home, ranging from the former Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, to the National Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, William Rosenwald. 

Beyond serving as a meeting place for these famed personalities, 112 Mercer Street was the venue for a weekly event of great importance to Einstein, namely his chamber music sessions. Einstein, an avid violin player, would often rearrange his schedule to attend. He is cited as being eager to share his music with those who would listen, joining in with carolers on his front porch during Christmastime, and serenading a few lucky trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of Princeton, 112 Mercer Street was a sanctuary for Einstein. A self-proclaimed “bear in [his] den,” he covered the walls of his study with pictures of Michael Faraday, a pivotal figure in the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry; James Clerk Maxwell, who was responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation; and Isaac Newton, who developed the first theory of gravitation in 1666. It was there, in that room, that Einstein felt completely at ease, able to continue his work on physics. Yet, above all, he loved his home for the way the light illuminated the upstairs rooms and for the abundant gardens at the back. 

Despite his fame, Einstein cherished his privacy, expressing in his will a wish that his home not be turned into a museum or public shrine after his death. In 1976, the house was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark to recognize Einstein’s significant contributions to the nation’s development, joining other historic landmarks such as Mount Vernon and the Apollo Mission Control Center. However, it remains a private residence to this day, stewarded by the Institute for Advanced Study. 

Since Einstein’s time, the home has seen two other Nobel Prize-winning tenants, Frank Wilczek, Member (1977–78) and Faculty (1989–2000) in the Institute’s School of Natural Sciences, who won the Prize in 2004 for his discovery of the nuclear force that binds quarks and holds together the nucleus of the atom, and Eric Maskin, Faculty (2000–11) and Visitor (2012) in the School of Social Science, who, in 2007, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for laying the foundations of mechanism design theory.

Today, the house is closed to the public. The Institute dedicates significant effort towards maintaining the property and its grounds and, where needed, carrying out restoration work. Those hoping to glimpse the home are welcome to admire it from the sidewalk and reflect on a place that has fostered grand intellectual discovery.