First of the eating clubs, Ivy Club was founded in 1878 and incorporated in 1883. It took its name from its first home, Ivy Hall on Mercer Street. A narrow cruciform structure made of brownstone, this building was designed by John Notman in 1846 and is an early example of Notman's application of the Italianate Revival style to an academic setting. For five years, Ivy Hall served as the College's law school. When this venture folded, the building then was the headquarters of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company. The pioneering group of undergraduates who started Ivy -- and the eating club system -- first occupied the building in 1877; their successors stayed on until 1882.