Purchased by Cleveland after his second term as president in 1896, the former chief executive lived there from 1897 until his death in 1908. Cleveland named it "Westland" in honor of his friend Andrew Fleming West, a humanities professor at Princeton University who assisted Cleveland in securing the purchase of the home. During Cleveland's occupancy several changes were made to the residence. He added a two-story extension to the right side of the home, with the lower floor serving as his billiard room. Cleveland also made some cosmetic changes to the building's façade in the Italianate style popular at the time.