Where a working farm
became a landmark.
In 1908, Dr. Ernest Fahnestock — a New York surgeon and son of noted Civil War-era financier Harris Fahnestock — purchased the 115-acre George W. Stillwell farm in Shrewsbury and named it Shadow Brook Farm.
He commissioned architects Lewis Colt Albro and Harrie T. Lindeberg to design a stately Georgian-style mansion and farm buildings, transforming a working crop farm into a gentleman's country estate. Construction was completed in the summer of 1910 at a reported cost of more than $200,000.
The 25-room main residence — a five-bay, hipped-roof Colonial Revival set back a thousand feet from the road along a winding blue-stone drive lined with maple trees — remains the graceful heart of Shadowbrook today.
A Storied Timeline
From a private estate to one of New Jersey's most celebrated dining and celebration destinations.
The Mansion Rises
Dr. Fahnestock's Georgian-style mansion is completed, featuring an oak-paneled living room, tiled gunroom, formal English cutting gardens and a 100-foot square rose garden with over 100 varieties of roses.
The Estate Expands
Dr. Fahnestock adds 65 acres of neighboring farmland at $425 per acre, bringing the estate to 180 acres. He would invest well over one million dollars in its development.
The Shadow Brook Inn
Following the estate's sale during the Depression, Fred Thorngreen opens the Shadow Brook Inn — a restaurant, hotel and night club — reviving the residence as a place of gathering.
Rod's Shadowbrook
Rod Keller and Robert Downs acquire the restaurant and rename it Shadowbrook. Known locally as Rod's Shadowbrook, it earns a stellar reputation for elegant atmosphere and gourmet cuisine. The Oak Room is expanded with grand garden views.
The Regency Room
The addition of the Regency Room gives Shadowbrook the ability to host two separate events at once — the beginning of its life as a premier celebration venue.
An Elegant Restoration
The Zweben family undertakes major renovations using authentic materials to evoke the early 1900s — enclosing the front porch, installing 11.5-foot restored antique doors and a honeycombed wood ceiling brought back from an English castle.
Grandeur in every detail.
The first floor holds a large beamed-ceiling entrance hall, an oak-paneled living room with a grand fireplace, a tiled gunroom, dining room, butler's pantry and flower room. Seven master bedrooms and six tiled baths grace the second floor, with eight more bedrooms above.
Landscape architects Pitkin & Weinrichter designed a carriage drive to sweep in a graceful U-shape about the entire group of buildings, framing formal gardens, a fountain and a fragrant rose garden that bloomed from early spring until frost.
In Distinguished Company
Over the years, Shadowbrook's guest list has included some of the era's most celebrated names in music, art and public life.
Celebrate Where History Lives.
More than a century of elegance awaits. Let the storied halls, formal gardens and timeless architecture of Shadowbrook at Shrewsbury set the stage for your most important moments.