Brattleboro Downtown Historic District

Last updated

Brattleboro Downtown Historic District
Post Office and Court House Brattleboro.jpg
Post office and courthouse
USA Vermont location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationMain St. from Vernon to Walnut, Flat, Elliot, High, and Grove Sts., Plaza Park, Brattleboro, Vermont
Area22 acres (8.9 ha) (original)
1 acre (0.40 ha) (increase)
Built1840 (1840)
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Georgian
NRHP reference No. 83003225 [1]  (original)
04000982  (increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 17, 1983
Boundary increaseSeptember 15, 2004

The Brattleboro Downtown Historic District encompasses most of the central business district of the town of Brattleboro, Vermont. Extending along Main Street between Whetstone Brook and a junction with Pultney Road and Linden and Walnut Streets, this area includes many of the town's prominent civic and institutional buildings. The area's development took place primarily in the 19th century, with surviving buildings from both the 18th and early 20th centuries. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and was enlarged in 2004 to include Plaza Park and the Holstein Building on the south side of Whetstone Brook. [2]

Contents

Description and history

The town of Brattleboro, now the major commercial center of southeastern Vermont, was chartered in 1753 and settled in the 1760s. Its present town center grew around mills that were built on Whetstone Brook. A bridge spanned the adjacent Connecticut River in 1804, making overland travel to points eastward more feasible. In 1811 the first paper mill was built on Whetstone Brook, inaugurating related industries that would come to dominate the town's economy. The railroad arrived in 1849, bringing increased development and commerce. Following a major flood in 1869 and fires in 1869 and 1877, there was a flurry of new development in the downtown area, lasting until about 1910, which gave the area much of its present character. [3]

The district is bounded at its northern end by the fourway junction of Main, Linden and Walnut Streets, and Pultney Road. Near this point the 1890 Wells Fountain stands as sentinel marking the upper end of the business district. The district extends from this point southward along Main Street, with a few properties included on side streets that extend westward, to the intersection of Bridge, Canal and Vernon Streets, just south of Whetstone Brook. This intersection is highlighted by Plaza Park, laid out in 1923, which includes as a central feature a casting of Daniel Chester French's Spirit of Life statue. The only buildings included in the district south of the brook are the former railroad station, now the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, and the Holstein Association Building, its oldest section dating to 1917. Prominent buildings lining Main Street in between include the former Brooks House Hotel, a Second Empire work of Vermont native Elbridge Boyden. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brattleboro, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located about 10 miles (16 km) north of the Massachusetts state line at the confluence of Vermont's West River and the Connecticut. With a 2022 Census population of 12,106, it is the most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont Route 9</span> State highway in Bennington and Windham counties in Vermont, United States

Vermont Route 9 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs 46.957 miles (75.570 km) from the New York state line in Bennington, where it continues west as New York State Route 7, to the New Hampshire state line at the Connecticut River in Brattleboro, where the highway continues as New Hampshire Route 9. VT 9 is the primary east–west highway of Bennington and Windham counties in southern Vermont. The highway connects Southern Vermont's primary towns of Bennington and Brattleboro via its crossing of the Green Mountains. VT 9 also connects those towns with Troy, New York, and Keene, New Hampshire, via the connecting highways in those states. The highway also intersects three major north–south routes: U.S. Route 7 in Bennington and Interstate 91 (I-91) and US 5 in Brattleboro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homestead–Horton Neighborhood Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Homestead–Horton Neighborhood Historic District encompasses a small turn-of-the-20th century neighborhood area in Brattleboro, Vermont. Located on a portion of Canal Street and all of Horton and Homestead Places, the district includes a significant number of Queen Anne Victorians, as well as the Italianate home of Jacob Estey, proprietor of the Estey Organ Company, one of the city's larger employers. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White River Junction Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

White River Junction Historic District is a historic district in the unincorporated village of White River Junction, within the town of Hartford, Vermont. It was first listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and its boundaries were increased in 2002 and 2019. It originally encompassed the central portion of the village's business district, and was then expanded to include a broader array of resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Market Square Historic District (Houlton, Maine)</span> Historic district in Maine, United States

The Market Square Historic District of Houlton, Maine encompasses that town's historic late-19th century central business district. Centered on the junction of Market Square, Court Street, Water Street, and Main Street, it includes a relatively cohesive assortment of brick and masonry commercial buildings, designed by architects and built between 1885 and 1910, following the arrival of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canal Street–Clark Street Neighborhood Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Canal Street–Clark Street Neighborhood Historic District encompasses a compact 19th-century working-class neighborhood of Brattleboro, Vermont. Most of its buildings are modest vernacular wood-frame buildings, erected between 1830 and 1935; there are a few apartment blocks, and one church. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creamery Covered Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Creamery Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge in West Brattleboro, Vermont. Now closed to traffic, the Town lattice truss bridge formerly carried Guilford Road across Whetstone Brook, just south of Vermont Route 9. Built in 1879, it is Brattleboro's last surviving 19th-century covered bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deacon John Holbrook House</span> Historic house in Vermont, United States

The Deacon John Holbrook House is a historic building at 80 Linden Street in Brattleboro, Vermont. Built in 1825 for prominent local businessman John Holbrook, it is a high-quality example of Federal period architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It now houses professional offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Brattleboro Green Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The West Brattleboro Green Historic Districts encompasses the historic core of the village of West Brattleboro, Vermont. Centered in the triangular green at South Street and Western Avenue, it includes a modest collection of buildings constructed between about 1800 and 1910. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danby Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Danby Village Historic District encompasses much of the town center of Danby, Vermont. It is centered on a stretch of Main Street, roughly between Depot Street and Brook Road. The village has a cohesive collection of mid-19th century architecture, mostly residential, with a modest number of later additions. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rutland Courthouse Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Rutland Courthouse Historic District encompasses an architecturally cohesive area of civic and residential buildings in Rutland, Vermont. Roughly bounded by Court, Washington, South Main, and West Streets, the district was principally developed between 1850 and 1875, and includes a number of prominent municipal and county buildings, including the Rutland County courthouse, the Rutland Free Library, and the Grace Congregational United Church. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallingford Main Street Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Wallingford Main Street Historic District encompasses the historic portions of the village of Wallingford, Vermont. An essentially linear district extending along Main Street on either side of School Street, it has a well-preserved array of 19th and early-20th century residential, commercial, and civic buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethel Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Bethel Village Historic District encompasses the historic core of the village of Bethel in the town of Bethel, Vermont, USA. The L-shaped district extends along Main and Church Streets, including many of the village's commercial and civic buildings, as well as a significant number of 19th and early 20th-century residences. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was slightly enlarged in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Depot Square Historic District (Randolph, Vermont)</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Depot Square Historic District encompasses the historic commercial business district of Randolph, Vermont. Developed in the mid-19th century around the facilities of the Central Vermont Railway, the area features a high concentration of well-preserved Second Empire and late Victorian commercial architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Royalton Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The South Royalton Historic District encompasses the central portion of the village of South Royalton, Vermont. Now the town of Royalton's principal commercial center, it developed in the second half of the 19th century around the depot of the Vermont Central Railroad. The district includes fine examples of Greek Revival and Victorian architecture, and is home to the Vermont Law School. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Springfield Downtown Historic District encompasses the historic central business district of the town of Springfield, Vermont. Located in a narrow valley on the banks of the Black River, the town's architecture is primarily reflective of its importance as a manufacturing center in the late 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries, with a cluster of commercial buildings surrounded by residential and industrial areas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and enlarged slightly in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weston Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Weston Village Historic District encompasses the town center and principal village of Weston, Vermont. Centered on Farrar Park, which serves as the town green, it includes a diversity of architectural styles from the late 18th century to about 1935, and includes residential, civic, commercial, industrial and religious buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Bristol Downtown Historic District encompasses the historic late 19th-century commercial heart of Bristol, Vermont. At first a rural agricultural market town, it developed in the second half of the 19th century as a small industrial center, producing finished wood products. Its downtown occupies an area of one block on both sides of Main Street, and features a diversity of architectural styles. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Richford Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Downtown Richford Historic District encompasses a cluster of commercial and industrial buildings at the center of Richford, Vermont. Centered on the junction of Main and River Streets are a cluster of mainly brick buildings, built between 1880 and 1920, with several industrial properties just across the Missisquoi River to the south, whose waters provided the power for the industries that fueled the town's growth. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Albans Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The St. Albans Historic District encompasses most of the historic commercial core of the city of St. Albans, Vermont. The district includes the historic town common, which acts as its focal center, and commercial and civic architecture dating from the early 19th to early 20th centuries. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Brattleboro Downtown Historic District (2004 increase)". National Park Service. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Brattleboro Downtown Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved November 6, 2015.