First Words

Construction Comes to Alumnae House

By Patricia Duane Lichtenberg '90

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS THAT WE
BLANCHE FERRY HOOKER OF THE CLASS OF 1894 ~
AND
QUEENE FERRY COONLEY OF THE CLASS OF 1896 ~

Do present to our alma mater, Vassar College, the building,
known as ALUMNAE HOUSE, and situated on Rock Lot.
Our purpose in so doing is to establish a center for the activities
of the Alumnae of College; the same to be the hearthstone.
WHERE all members of this Association will ever find
a welcome and a spirit of home;
WHERE work, long thought of or from new inspiration
may be accomplished in solitude, or in groups;...
AND MAY EACH GUEST in parting say in her heart,
“It is well for us to have been here.”

 

Alumnae House
Alumnae House

Amidst great fanfare, which included a heraldry of trumpeters and torchbearers clad in brightly colored medieval doublet and hose, Blanche Ferry Hooker and Queene Ferry Coonley dedicated Alumnae House on June 8, 1924.

On that day, it is unlikely that the donors and their guests (among them Vassar College President MacCracken in full academic regalia) could foresee the long and fruitful years ahead; but our beloved Alumnae House has been well used and is in need of renovation and updating, including new wiring, plumbing, sprinkler systems, painting, and carpeting. Although the Ferry sisters and their guests would not have anticipated the presence and power of electronic communications, they no doubt would have supported installing up-to-date telephone and data systems.

Alumnae House was originally built thanks to the Ferry sisters and other alumnae, who gave gifts of all denominations. So many were the donors that Alumnae House, at its dedication, was fondly referred to as “The House of a Thousand Gifts.” Those gifts–of time, resources, spirit, and hard work–have been matched a hundredfold over the years by countless volunteers and donors. In the last several years, we have installed a guest elevator and made aesthetic improvements to the library, the Pub, and the garden terrace. Last year, the wood floors in the living room were restored to their original, dramatic luster.

Now the time has come to address the less visible but highly critical infrastructure of Alumnae House. After several years of fundraising and scrupulous consultation and planning with architects, engineers, alumnae/i, and college representatives, the House will close temporarily on November 1, 2003. It will reopen in time for its 80th anniversary in the spring of 2004, welcoming alumnae and alumni, their friends and families, and the extended Vassar community. The members of AAVC, alumnae/i volunteers and staff alike, are committed to upholding the original standards of hospitality and graciousness that have been the hallmark of Alumnae House. Indeed, anyone who passes through its doors will always know “it is well for us to have been here.”