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Coordinates: 41°41′12.03″N 73°53′44.99″W / 41.6866750°N 73.8958306°W / 41.6866750; -73.8958306
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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
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{{Infobox NRHP | name =Old Main, Vassar College
{{Infobox NRHP
⚫
| nrhp_type = nhl
| name = Main Building, Vassar College
⚫
| locmapin = New York
⚫
| nrhp_type = nhl
| image = Old Main, Vassar College edit1.jpg
⚫
| locmapin = New York#USA
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| caption = Building in 2007, seen from near the entrance to campus
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| image = Old Main, Vassar College edit1.jpg
⚫
| location= [[Poughkeepsie (town), New York|Poughkeepsie, New York]]
⚫
| caption = Building in 2007, seen from near the entrance to campus
| lat_degrees = 41 | lat_minutes = 41 | lat_seconds = 12.03 | lat_direction = N
⚫
| location = [[Poughkeepsie (town), New York|Poughkeepsie, New York]]
| long_degrees = 73 | long_minutes = 53 | long_seconds = 44.99 | long_direction = W
| coordinates = {{coord|41|41|12.03|N|73|53|44.99|W|display=inline,title}}
| area =
| area = {{convert|4|acre|ha}} (landmarked area)
| built =1861
| built = {{start date|1861}}
| architect= [[James Renwick, Jr.]]
| architect = [[James Renwick Jr.]]
| architecture= [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]]
| architecture = [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]]
| designated_nrhp_type= June 24, 1986<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1350&ResourceType=Building
| designated_nrhp_type = June 24, 1986<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1350&ResourceType=Building
|title=Old Main, Vassar College|date=2007-09-17|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
|title=Main Building, Vassar College|date=2007-09-17|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| added = September 19, 1973<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
| added = September 19, 1973<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
| governing_body = Private
| refnum=73001183
| refnum = 73001183
}}
}}
'''Main Building''' is on the [[Vassar College]] campus in [[Poughkeepsie (town), New York|Poughkeepsie, New York]]. It was built by [[James Renwick Jr.]] in the [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]] [[architectural style|style]] in [[1861 in architecture|1861]], the second building in the history of what was one of America's first women's colleges. 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.
The '''Main Building''' of [[Vassar College]] is the oldest surviving building on its campus in [[Poughkeepsie (town), New York|Poughkeepsie, New York]], and the center of academic life. It was built by [[James Renwick Jr.]] in the [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]] [[architectural style|style]] in [[1861 in architecture|1861]], 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|Second Empire]] architecture in the United States and is a [[List of National Historic Landmarks in New York|National 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.


==Architecture==
⚫
It was taken over by protesters in 1969<ref>[http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/index.php/Claudia_Lynn_Thomas_'71:Takeover_of_Main_Building,_1969 Takeover of Main Building, 1971, at Vassar Encyclopedia]</ref> and again in 1990.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/16/nyregion/vassar-students-end-sit-in-moynihan-defends-lecture.html Vassar Students End Sit-In; Moynihan Defends Lecture, 1990, New York Time]</ref>
Vassar's Main Building is a large brick building, four stories in height, with a fifth floor under its [[mansard roof]]. It is U-shaped, with a central portion {{convert|500|ft|m}} long, and transverse wings {{convert|164|ft|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.<ref name="nrhpinv"/>


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.<ref name="nrhpinv"/>
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It was named a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1986.<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv">{{Cite document|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Main Building, Vassar College|url=http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/73001183.pdf |format=pdf|author=Carolyn Pitts|date=1978 or after|publisher=National Park Service}} and {{PDFlink|[http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/73001183.pdf Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 1978, c. 1950, and other dates. And lithograph from 1864.]|2.93&nbsp;MB}}</ref> The [[Vassar Observatory]], the first building built on the Vassar campus, is also a National Historic Landmark.

==History==
⚫
It was taken over by protesters in 1969<ref>[http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/index.php/Claudia_Lynn_Thomas_'71:Takeover_of_Main_Building,_1969 Takeover of Main Building, 1971, at Vassar Encyclopedia]</ref> and again in 1990.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/16/nyregion/vassar-students-end-sit-in-moynihan-defends-lecture.html Vassar Students End Sit-In; Moynihan Defends Lecture, 1990, New York Times]</ref>

⚫
It was named a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1986.<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv">{{Cite journal|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Main Building, Vassar College|url={{NHLS url|id=73001183}} |format=pdf|author=Carolyn Pitts|date=1978|publisher=National Park Service}} and {{NHLS url|id=73001183|title=Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 1978, c. 1950, and other dates. And lithograph from 1864.|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(2.93&nbsp;MB)}}</ref> The [[Vassar Observatory]], the first building built on the Vassar campus, is also a National Historic Landmark.


==See also==
==See also==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/index.php/Main_Building Main Building (1865), at Vassar Encyclopedia]
{{commons category|Main Building (Vassar College)}}
* [http://vcencyclopedia.vassar.edu/index.php/Main_Building Main Building (1865), at Vassar Encyclopedia]
* [http://360tour.vassar.edu/ 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.


{{Vassar College|No Collapse}}
{{Vassar College|No Collapse}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}


[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in New York]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)]]
[[Category:School buildings completed in 1861]]
[[Category:School buildings completed in 1861]]
[[Category:Vassar College buildings]]
[[Category:Vassar College buildings]]
[[Category:University and college administration buildings in the United States]]
[[Category:University and college administration buildings in the United States]]
[[Category:James Renwick, Jr. buildings]]
[[Category:James Renwick Jr. buildings]]
[[Category:Second Empire architecture in New York]]
[[Category:Second Empire architecture in New York (state)]]
[[Category:University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York]]
[[Category:University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:1861 establishments in New York (state)]]

[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Dutchess County, New York]]

[[Category:Brick buildings and structures in the United States]]
{{DutchessNY-NRHP-stub}}
{{NewYork-struct-stub}}

Latest revision as of 22:15, 3 April 2024

Main Building, Vassar College
Building in 2007, seen from near the entrance to campus
Main Building (Vassar College) is located in New York
Main Building (Vassar College)
Main Building (Vassar College) is located in the United States
Main Building (Vassar College)
LocationPoughkeepsie, New York
Coordinates41°41′12.03″N 73°53′44.99″W / 41.6866750°N 73.8958306°W / 41.6866750; -73.8958306
Area4 acres (1.6 ha) (landmarked area)
Built1861 (1861)
ArchitectJames Renwick Jr.
Architectural styleSecond Empire
NRHP reference No.73001183
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 19, 1973[1]
Designated NHLJune 24, 1986[2]

The Main Building of Vassar College is the oldest surviving building on its campus in Poughkeepsie, New York, and the center of academic life. It was built by James Renwick Jr. in the Second Empire style in 1861, 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 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[edit]

Vassar's Main Building is a large brick building, four stories in height, with a fifth floor under its mansard 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]

History[edit]

It was taken over by protesters in 1969[4] and again in 1990.[5]

It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986.[2][3] The Vassar Observatory, the first building built on the Vassar campus, is also a National Historic Landmark.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Main Building, Vassar College". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 17, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Carolyn Pitts (1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Main Building, Vassar College" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 1978, c. 1950, and other dates. And lithograph from 1864. (2.93 MB)
  4. ^ Takeover of Main Building, 1971, at Vassar Encyclopedia
  5. ^ Vassar Students End Sit-In; Moynihan Defends Lecture, 1990, New York Times

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Main Building (Vassar College).
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