Dr. Henry Genet Taylor House

Henry Genet Taylor was a Camden physician who founded the city's first hospital. Dr. Taylor was born in New York State in July 1837. He had the Cooper Street house designed in 1884 by Philadelphia architect William Eyre, Jr. The house has been dubbed one of the most distinguished of Eyre's Arts and Crafts style townhouses. Eyre also co-founded Philadelphia's T-Square Club in 1883, served as President of the Philadelphia American Institute of Architects, and co-founded and edited House and Garden Magazine in 1901.

In 1900, Dr. Taylor (age 62) shared the home with his wife of 21 years, Helen C. (53), a New Jersey native. Two of the three children of the couple survived: sons Henry G. Jr. (16) and Richard C. (14); both were born in New Jersey. Two servants completed the household: German-born Kate Jilijowrski (50) and Mary Boylan (20), a Pennsylvania native. Dr. Taylor died in 1916. His obituary described him as a Civil War veteran who died at age 79 from "the grip," several years after retiring from his medical practice. Dr. Taylor was a descendant of "Citizen" Genet, a French statesman who represented French interests to America in the early years of the new nation.

Dr. Taylor's descendants continued to live in the Cooper Street house until the late 1950s. In 1927, the house was occupied by Dr. Taylor's widow; his son, Henry G. Jr. and wife, Maude D., and their family. The house was divided into apartment housing in 1938 and several fireplaces were removed. Henry Jr. and Maude still resided at 305 Cooper Street in the mid-1940s. In 1970 the apartment building was owned by residents Edward and Mildred Teitelman; Mr. Teitelman was a Preservation Officer of the Camden County Historical Society.

The 3-1/2 story masonry structure with a full basement is 39 feet wide by 60 feet deep. The main architectural elements are an oriel window, a central chimney with a window, a deeply arched entrance, and a Flemish Renaissance gable. The ground floor is faced in ashlar. The original plan of the interior rooms (before the reconstruction of the interior by Rutgers in 2015) was an asymmetrical "T" with the larger rooms to the east. The first floor contained the entrance porch, vestibule with an alcove and built-in bench, two rooms for the doctor's office, and rooms for the home's parlor, dining room, and kitchen. A curving oak staircase led to six bedrooms, a nursery, bathrooms, a library, storage, and maids' rooms on the upper levels. A sunporch was added to the rear of the dining room in 1891 and the second-floor windows were lowered 18 inches in 1888, apparently trying to brighten up the home's interior.

Anonymous. "Dr. H.G. Taylor's Funeral Monday." Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA) January 15th 1916. Night Extra ed, 15-15.

Lai, Jonathan. "At Rutgers-Camden, a new Writers House in the works." Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) January 11th 2015. , Local News sec.

R.L. Polk & Co.. Polk's Greater Camden Directory. Volume XXXV. Philadelphia, PA. R.L. Polk & Co., 1927.

R.L. Polk & Co.. Polk's Camden (Camden County, N.J.) City Directory 1943. Philadelphia, PA. R.L. Polk & Co., 1943.

Rutgers University. Writers House, About, Rutgers-Camden School of Arts and Sciences. January 1st 2020. Accessed December 31st 2020. https://writershouse.camden.rutgers.edu/about/.

Silverman, Eleni. Dr. H. Genet Taylor House & Office. Historic American Buildings Survey. July 1st 1983.

Teitelman, Edward. NRHP Nomination of Dr. Henry Genet Taylor House & Office. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1970.

U.S. Census. Household of Henry G. Taylor at 307 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ Ward 1, Dwelling 215, Family 221. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1900.