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Walker Field House and the Athletics and Fitness Center are connected athletics buildings on the campus of Vassar College in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, US.

History
Athletics at Vassar College in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, were first headquartered at the institution's third building, the Calisthenium and Riding Academy. In 1889, the college constructed its Alumnae Gymnasium, which was later replaced as the home of Vassar athletics in 1934 by Kenyon Hall. Walker Field House was built in 1982 as an expansion of the school's athletics programs. The building, designed by Daniel F. Tully Associates, originally consisted of a swimming pool and a gymnasium, used for sports like tennis and baseball and also as a gathering space for events. The center was named for the Walker family, several of whom are Vassar alumni; they contributed $1.7 million USD towards the project's total cost of $4.9 million. A further $500,000 was donated by The Kresge Foundation. Construction on the project began in April 1981.

By May 1999, plans were underway at Vassar for a number of projects to improve the college's athletic facilities, collectively totaling $15 million. Intended to modernize athletic facilities at Vassar to keep pace with those at peer institutions, the capital project included renovations for Walker, the construction of the new Athletics and Fitness Center, and a rowing facility on the Hudson River. Vassar hired Michael Winstanley of Cannon Associates to renovate Walker; Cannon Associates installed new flooring, locker rooms, bathrooms and more training facilities.

Design and placement
Walker Field House and the Athletics and Fitness Center are located on the eastern end of Vassar College's campus. They are abutted on the north and east by Vassar's golf course and to the west by the college's Terrace Apartments. The Class of 1951 Observatory sits to the south. Vassar's buildings are either generally aligned to the cardinal directions, or in agreement with the topography and waterways of the campus; Walker Field House and the Athletics and Fitness Center fall into the latter category. Both the Walker Field House and the Athletics and Fitness Center were designed with the idea of continuing the fluidity of Vassar College's natural landscapes.

Walker Field House was designed to avoid supporting columns through the main exercise areas. This was accomplished through the peaked hyperbolic paraboloid roof structure that relied on premade wood shells on wood and concrete. The building totals 42250 sqft.

When Cannon associates added another 53000 sqft to the Athletics and Fitness Center, they included fitness rooms and a large gym with an upper-level running track. This space also includes second-floor offices, a cafe, and a common area. The most significant physical feature of the Athletics and Fitness Center is its octagonal entry pavilion, large arched windows, and a 100ft long glass corridor connecting the Fitness Center with Walker Field House. Unlike the exterior of Walker Field House, the exterior of the Athletics and Fitness Center include many historical references in its details.

Facilities
Walker Field House currently contains facilities for the swim/dive team, the tennis team, the basketball team, the badminton team, and the fencing team. Walker Field house is the home of the Kresge Pool: a six-lane pool with a 4ft, movable bulkhead/walkway and diving well. Locker rooms, administrative offices and Vassar's Sports Medicine Facility surround these facilities.

The building's [walker] 42,000 square feet can hold up to 4,000 people. The college also uses Walker Field House as a large-scale gathering space and for reunions.