Main Building, Vassar College | |
 Building in 2007, seen from near the entrance to campus | |
   | |
| Location | Poughkeepsie, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°41′12.03″N73°53′44.99″W / 41.6866750°N 73.8958306°W /41.6866750; -73.8958306 |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) (landmarked area) |
| Built | 1861 (1861) |
| Architect | James Renwick Jr. |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001183 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 19, 1973[1] |
| Designated NHL | June 24, 1986[2] |
TheMain Building ofVassar College is the oldest surviving building on its campus inPoughkeepsie, New York, and the center of academic life. It was built byJames Renwick Jr. in theSecond Empirestyle in1861, the second building in the history of what was one of America's first women's colleges. It is one of the earliest, largest, and most important examples ofSecond Empire architecture in the United States and is aNational Historic Landmark for its architecture and educational significance. At the time of its completion, the structure contained the most interior space of any building in the United States, and housed the entire college, including dormitories, libraries, classrooms, and dining halls. Currently, the first and second floors house campus administration while the remaining three (including the second floor wings) house student rooms.
Vassar's Main Building is a large brick building, four stories in height, with a fifth floor under itsmansard roof. It is U-shaped, with a central portion 500 feet (150 m) long, and transverse wings 164 feet (50 m) in length projecting forward at the ends of the central section. At the center of the central portion is a projecting pavilion topped by a slate-roofed dome with iron cresting. Most windows are sash, set in openings with either segmented-arch or round-arch tops; the roof is pierced by dormers whose rounded tops have keystones. Window trim and horizontal banding on the building are of bluestone.[3]
The building has in significant part been restored to its original appearance. One notable exception is a large turning staircase in the central section, which was removed in 1893 as part of a library expansion that became known as "Uncle Fred's Nose", after Fred Thompson, whose name adorned the annex that was added at that time. That annex was removed in 1959 during the restoration process, but the stairs were not rebuilt.[3]
It was taken over by protesters in 1969[4] and again in 1990.[5]
It was named aNational Historic Landmark in 1986.[2][3] TheVassar Observatory, the first building built on the Vassar campus, is also a National Historic Landmark.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help) andAccompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 1978, c. 1950, and other dates. And lithograph from 1864. (2.93 MB)
