Vassar College

Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college situated in Poughkeepsie, NY. Formerly a women's college, Vassar is the only fully co-educational member of the Seven Sisters.

Architecture

The Vassar campus boasts several buildings of architectural interest. Main Building formerly housed the entire college, including classrooms, dormitories, museum, library, and dining halls. The building was designed by Smithsonian architect James Renwick Jr. and was completed in 1865. It is on the registry of national historic landmarks. Many beautiful old brick buildings are scattered throughout the bucolic campus, but there are also several modern and contemporary structures worth noting. Ferry House, a student cooperative, was designed by Marcel Breuer in 1951. Another somewhat controversial design, Noyes House, was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. A good example of an attempt to use passive solar design can be seen in the Mudd Chemistry Building by Perry Dean Rogers. More recently, New Haven architect César Pelli was asked to design the Loeb Art Center, which was completed in the early 1990's. Pelli also worked on the renovation of Main Building Lobby and the Avery Hall theater into the $25 million Center for Drama and Film, which preserved the original 1860's facade but was an entirely new structure.

Related Topics:
James Renwick Jr. - National historic landmark - Marcel Breuer - Eero Saarinen - Passive solar - César Pelli

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