Skylands Manor
New Jersey’s Tudor Revival Masterpiece — NJ State Botanical Garden, 100 Acres of Formal Gardens, 1920s Mansion by John Russell Pope, Jefferson Memorial Architect, Ringwood State Park, Wedding Venue, Guided Tours, Passaic County New Jersey
Skylands Manor is a Tudor Revival mansion at the heart of the New Jersey State Botanical Garden within Ringwood State Park, Passaic County, New Jersey. Designed in the mid-1920s by John Russell Pope — the architect of the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art — this extraordinary estate features a mansion intentionally designed to appear centuries old with quarried stone facade, 100 acres of formal botanical gardens, over 1,000 acres of surrounding woodland, guided mansion tours, State and National Register of Historic Places listing, and use as a premier wedding and event venue.
Architectural Masterwork
Skylands Manor was commissioned by Clarence McKenzie Lewis, an investment banker and dedicated plantsman who purchased the property in 1922. He hired John Russell Pope to design a mansion that would appear to have stood for centuries. The result is a remarkable Tudor Revival residence with a weathered stone facade quarried on the estate and deliberate “sags and ripples” in the slate roof to achieve an authentically aged appearance. The interior was decorated with authentic portions of English manor houses that were dismantled and shipped to America.
New Jersey State Botanical Garden
The surrounding 100 acres of formal gardens represent one of the preeminent examples of estate gardening in North America. Lewis created a botanical showcase featuring specimen trees and plantings from around the world, formal garden rooms, wildflower meadows, and manicured landscapes set against over 1,000 acres of woodland. The gardens are open to the public year-round and are managed by the New Jersey Botanical Garden (NJBG) nonprofit organization.
Visitor Information
The NJBG offers guided tours of the mansion’s ground floor on selected Sundays. The botanical gardens are accessible during Ringwood State Park hours with a standard state park entrance fee. Skylands Manor also operates as a wedding and event venue and offers bed-and-breakfast accommodations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Skylands Manor?
John Russell Pope, the architect who also designed the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Do I need to pay to see the gardens?
The gardens are within Ringwood State Park. A standard NJ state park entrance fee applies during peak season.
