By Cherise Forbes, Manchester Journal | Feb 13, 2025 Updated Feb 13, 2025
An early photo of the Manchester Village Schoolhouse courtesy of the Manchester Historical Society. Photo provided by Manchester Historical Society
MANCHESTER — Two local efforts to restore historic buildings received a boon last week when the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (DHP) and the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation awarded grants totaling $357,207 to 22 municipalities and non-profit organizations throughout the state.
“These Historic Preservation Grants revitalize our communities and honor the past,” said Governor Phil Scott. “Investing in these projects creates opportunities for Vermonters and visitors to learn more about the history of our great state.”
The Manchester Music Festival (MMF) received a $20,000 matching grant to restore the distinctive cupola of the former Manchester Village Schoolhouse, which was destroyed by a fire in 1877. The building that stands there today rose from the ashes of that fire, and served as a school until 1950. It was purchased by MMF in 2001 and is currently used for administrative offices, a board meeting room and, during the summer, as shared dorm rooms and rehearsal space for students who are participating in MMF's Young Artists program.
The upcoming restoration project will safeguard the architectural integrity of the Festival House while maintaining its functional use as a central location for MMF’s educational and cultural programming, the MMF said in a press release.
“It’s enormously rewarding to receive the endorsement of the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, which recognizes the importance of our goal to preserve this beloved historic building,” said Alison Denis Longley, Chair of MMF’s Board of Directors. “The restoration of the Festival House cupola ensures that this landmark continues to serve as a space for education and artistic excellence while honoring Manchester’s rich history.”
Since 1976, the Weston Village Schoolhouse has been the home of the town's early childhood programs. It's known today as The Little School and serves children ages 2-5 from Weston and surrounding towns including Chester, Andover, Ludlow, Cavendish, Peru, Landgrove and Londonderry.
The schoolhouse itself was build in 1861 in the Italianate style, and $12,890 in Historic Preservation funds will support a window restoration project focused on the front façade windows facing Lawrence Hill Road.
Vermont Historic Preservation Grants are one-to-one matching grants for up to $20,000 to be used to rehabilitate civic and community resources that are vital to Vermont’s historic downtowns, villages, and rural communities. This year’s grants also include rehabilitating the Colonial Revival porch at the Green/Samson/Luce House in Franklin, restoring the south wall at the Corinth Town Hall, and repairing the slate roof and bell tower at the Green Mountain Hall/Universalist Church in Whitingham.
“Investing in these projects is investing in Vermont’s story,” said Housing and Community Development Commissioner Alex Farrell who oversees the Division of Historic Preservation. “The Division of Historic Preservation is committed to helping these towns and nonprofits maintain these structures that mean so much to their communities.”
To qualify for a Vermont Historic Preservation Grant, a landmark or historic building must be at least fifty years old and listed in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places. Since the creation of Historic Preservation Grants in 1986, more than 670 projects on historic buildings, structures, and sites owned by municipalities and non-profits have received $6 million.