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Williams House
Alternative names	Williams Hall
General information
Architectural style	Tudor Revival
Town or city	Poughkeepsie, New York
Named for	Harriet Trumbull Williams
Completed	1925
Opened	1922
Owner	Vassar College
Technical details
Floor count	3
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Hunt & Hunt
Other information
Number of units	21

Williams House (historically Williams Hall) is part of Vassar College in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York. It was constructed as the college's first building for housing female faculty. In 2019, the college proposed demolishing Williams House to build the parking lot for a new 50-room conference hotel, open to the public, to the objection of residents and community members.

History

In 1910, President Taylor said that the college required an apartment house that "would give the women of our faculty an independence and a freedom from the constant calls of student life." Harriet Trumbull Williams of Vassar's class of 1870 donated $100,000 for this purpose, saying she "wished to contribute to the welfare of women. No group of professional workers seem to be more worthy of recognition through increased comfort in living conditions than those who have faithfully served Vassar College as professors and instructors".

Williams Hall was built under the presidency of Henry Noble MacCracken. Both Williams Hall and Alumnae House, located above it, were designed by the architects Hunt & Hunt.

The first residents moved into the central building in spring 1922. Notable initial residents included C. Mildred Thompson, Vassar's second dean, and Harriet Isabel Ballintine, a pioneer in women's physical education.

The east and west wings, which were part of the original design, were completed in 1925. Dean Thompson moved into the first floor of the east wing. The first floor of the west wing was used for a dining room for the residents.

Preservation

In 2019, Vassar proposed demolition of Williams as part of its plan to build a "Inn and Institute" on the Alumnae House lawn, using the site of Williams for a parking lot. This proposed project was funded principally by an anonymous donation.

While in July 2020, Vassar's President Bradley announced that Williams would be demolished by "early October", the required zoning and planning permissions have not been granted as of December 2020.

On October 30, the Town of Poughkeepsie Historic Preservation Commission unanimously recommended that Williams be designated as a local historic landmark, writing "Taking Williams away from this well-intentioned and carefully-planned for corner of the Town of Poughkeepsie, would leave a needless wound on the land and the history of Arlington ... preserving this picturesque and stately corner of our Town for future generations makes it, and Williams Hall, worthy to be protected and landmarked." While landmark designation was supported by the town's Historic Preservation Commission and by the Town Board member representing Ward 6 (where Williams is located), the Board as a whole rejected the application.

References

1. ^ Smith, Winifred (1 November 1919). "The New Faculty House: Williams Hall". Vassar Quarterly. Vol. V, no. 1.
2. ^ Musso, Anthony (21 April 2020). "Vassar's 1924 Alumnae House held college's first 'pub'". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
3. ^ "Exodus to Williams Row". The Vassar Miscellany News. Vol. VI, no. 56. 27 May 1922.
4. ^ "Additions to Williams Hall Nearly Completed". The Vassar Miscellany News. Vol. IX, no. 36. 11 March 1925.
5. Ali, Saba (10 January 2020). "Vassar College's plan for hotel, institute faces zoning hurdles, mixed public opinion". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
6. Phelps, Talya; Moss, Jessica (3 April 2019). "Faculty housing to be demolished". The Miscellany News. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
7. "Williams House Faculty Apartments - Vassar College". Where Women Made History. National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
8. Moss, Jessica (21 July 2020). "Town board weigh Inn and Institute site plan, zoning amendments". The Miscellany News. Vassar College. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
9. Bradley, Elizabeth. "A Message From the President on the Status of Williams House". Vassar College. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
10. Stewart, Taylor (7 October 2020). ""A Building is Never Just a Building:" A Vassar Controversy Roils On". Rural Intelligence. ChronogramMedia. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
11. "Town of Poughkeepsie Town Board Meeting, November 4, 2020" (PDF).
12. "Town of Poughkeepsie Town Board Meeting, December 16, 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 17 December 2020.

Bibliography

• Platt Byard Dovell White Architects (June 15, 2007). Vassar College Historic Preservation Design Manual. Society for College and University Planning (Report).

• Vassar College buildings
• Houses completed in 1922
• Tudor Revival architecture in New York (state)