The Main Building of
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...
is the oldest surviving building on its campus in
Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeeps ...
, and the center of academic life. It was built by
James Renwick, Jr.
James Renwick Jr. (born November 11, 1818, Bloomingdale, in Upper Manhattan, New York City – June 23, 1895, New York City) was an American architect in the 19th century. ''The Encyclopedia of American Architecture'' calls him "one of the mos ...
in the
Second Empire style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
in
1861
Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry.
Events
January–March
* January 1
** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City.
** The first stea ...
, 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 of
Second Empire architecture in the United States and is a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
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.
Architecture
Vassar's Main Building is a large brick building, four stories in height, with a fifth floor under its
mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. Th ...
. It is U-shaped, with a central portion long, and transverse wings 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.
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.
History
It was taken over by protesters in 1969 and again in 1990.
Vassar Students End Sit-In; Moynihan Defends Lecture, 1990, New York Times
/ref>
It was named a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
in 1986.[ and ] The Vassar Observatory, the first building built on the Vassar campus, is also a National Historic Landmark.
See also
*List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
This is a list of National Historic Landmarks and comparable other historic sites designated by the U.S. government in the U.S. state of New York. The United States National Historic Landmark (NHL) program operates under the auspices of the Nat ...
*
References
External links
Main Building (1865), at Vassar Encyclopedia
Vassar College panoramic tour
— Select ''Residential'' from the righthand column, then ''Main House'', or ''Bell Ringing'', ''Retreat in the College Center'', and ''Rose Parlor'' from the ''Student Life'' tab.
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York
National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)
School buildings completed in 1861
Vassar College buildings
University and college administration buildings in the United States
James Renwick Jr. buildings
Second Empire architecture in New York (state)
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
1861 establishments in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Dutchess County, New York