The building was named for Anna Irwin Young, who attended Agnes Scott and later taught mathematics at the College from 1895 until her death in 1920. Originally, the Alumnae House contained a parlor, dining room and six bedrooms, one of which was reserved for guests of the College. Located at 133 South Candler Street, the Alumnae House today houses the Office of Alumnae Affairs and provides a place for campus visitors and alumnae of the College to stay while visiting Atlanta. The Alumnae Gardens were created in the late '20s and early '30s at the same time as construction of Buttrick Hall. Meant to be a formal garden between the Alumnae House and Inman Hall, the garden features a small fishpond at its center.
Tradition is that newly engaged students are thrown into the pool.