The National Park Service describes the original house, patterned after Morven (a nearby 18th-century mansion also owned by Robert Stockton) as a "2-1/2-story, stone structure covered with stucco painted yellow, [with] twin parlors on the first floor, spacious rooms, high ceilings, and handsome marble mantelpieces."

Stockton, who hailed from a prominent political family, was a United States Senator and naval commodore, notable for the capture of California during the Mexican–American War.

The original structure consisted of a three-story main residence on roughly 4.5 acres of expansive lawns and fruit orchards.

Although he had never attended college, he accepted a seat on the Board of Trustees of Princeton University, a position he took seriously, chairing a committee to establish a graduate school.

His favorite recreations were billiards and meetings of the Poverty Club, composed of a group of his comrades who played cards regularly at Westland.

The 6,345 square foot three-level house is described as having 6 bedrooms and 5 baths, a formal entry, and dining and living rooms that still contain trim from Cleveland's time there.