With numerous examples of Notman's work already in Princeton, the Trustees must have known what they were getting into when they hired him to remodel Nassau Hall. Under Notman, the austere Georgian building later formalized by Latrobe received several transforming elements drawn from the vocabulary of the Italianate Revival style.

Notman, like Latrobe, was constrained by having to use the original walls. This, in the words of historian Thomas J. Wertenbaker, dampened Notman's ability "to convert Old North into an Italian villa." Even so, Notman's alternations -- many of which remain today -- gave Nassau Hall a markedly different appearance.