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 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 Cesar Pelli was asked to design the Loeb Art Center, which
was completed in the early 1990's. Pelli also worked on the renovation of the Avery Hall theater and Marie Mitchell.