Maids' Club House : Arts and Crafts meets social reform at Vassar College

The Maids’ Club House, constructed on the Vassar College campus in 1908, illustrates the intersection of Arts and Crafts architecture and reform ideals. It is the architectural manifestation of social reform values adopted by Vassar students on behalf of the Vassar maids at the turn of the century. The club house is the first and only independent structure established at an American women’s college that was created by college students for a college workforce. As a building for women and by women at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Maids’ Club House is a significant reminder of women’s influence on the social and architectural landscape of the Vassar community.