Vassar was awarded a grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to address urgent needs of the iconic 2500 New Hackensack building. Issued by the Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and the Conserving Black Modernism Program, this grant—one of only five such grants nationwide this year—will support a Facilities Management and Preservation Plan for the structure.

The 2500 New Hackensack building, attributed to the late Jeh V. Johnson, was erected 1963–64 after designs from the Poughkeepsie architectural firm founded by William Gindele, where Johnson served as an Associate and, later, as Partner. In his life and career, Johnson was a champion of women and people of color in architecture, co-founding the National Organization of Minority Architects, and he was awarded a special citation by the American Institute of Architects for his advocacy on behalf of equal opportunity and housing issues.

Now home to Campus Safety & Security and used by various academic departments, 2500 New Hackensack was originally conceived as a site for the then-expanding Poughkeepsie Day School. Exemplary of Black architects’ contributions to the Modernist style, featuring minimalist brick, steel, and glass construction, the building has served various educational purposes across the decades and was refurbished under Johnson’s supervision early in this century. This important investment in Conserving Black Modernism by the National Trust and the African American Cultural Action Fund will preserve a remarkable building’s structural integrity for future generations while supporting deeper engagement with Johnson’s architectural legacy, on campus and beyond.