The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Anna Young Alumnae House and Garden

Click on image titles for larger views.

Anna Young Alumnae House & Garden (Garden), Agnes Scott College

Anna Young Alumnae House & Garden (House=Frost), Agnes Scott College

Institution Name: Agnes Scott College
Original/Historic Place Name: Anna Young Alumnae House and Garden
Location on Campus: 133 South Candler St.
Date(s) of Construction:

1921	original construction Wachendorff, E. C.

Designer: E. C. Wachendorff
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Colonial revival, Regionalist/Vernacular (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, education, history, landscape
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: dry stack brick footing below grade, brick masonry at and above grade

Walls: wood frame, with brick outer layer

Roof: slate, rubber membrane

Function:

ca. 1921	other (meeting rooms)
ca. 1921	alumni center (alumnae and guest house)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	gardens
ca. 2004-present (2006)	administration (offices)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	other (meeting rooms)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	alumni center (alumnae and guest house)

Narrative:
Built in 1921, the colonial, two-story Anna Young Alumnae House is the oldest alumnae house in Georgia, and the second oldest in the nation. The Board of Trustees approved $20,000 to build the house, and it was named for Miss Anna Irwin Young, who taught mathematics at the College from 1895 until her death in 1920. The building also serves as a campus guesthouse.

Located on the west side of South Candler St., the Alumnae House is a brick building with a porch roof over the front door supported by four columns with dentils on the cornice. Originally the back of the house contained a large room that was used as a tearoom, where the house hostess would serve special breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, and afternoon teas for any faculty member, alumnae, or student who wished to entertain there. Although the original parlor, dining room, and kitchen remain, the tearoom has become part of the Alumnae Office. The house has become the social center of campus, and a formal garden was planted behind the building. The garden is also home to the first college Garden for Peace, an international effort led by an Agnes Scott alumna. A sculpture of Robert Frost created by George W. Lundeen was was dedicated there in April, 1991.

References:

Gardens for Peace. Brochure. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, [n. d.].

McNair, Walter Edward. Lest We Forget: An Account of Agnes Scott College. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 1983.

Robert Frost and Agnes Scott College. Dedication brochure. April 2001.

Sayrs, M. Lee, and Christine S. Cozzens. A Full and Rich Measure. Decatur, GA: Agnes Scott College, 1990.

Sharp, Leslie N. South Candler Street--Agnes Scott College Historic District. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1994.