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The Merchant's Bank was incorporated
by Timothy Follett and H.S. Noyes on November 10, 1849 with a
capital of $150,000.(1) The three story four bay building has
distinctive Greek Revival features, including simple pilasters
with entablature, stone lintels and sills, and a corbelled brick
frieze at the top.
Presumably, the prosperity of this
waterfront area allowed Follett to amass enough capital to open
the bank and build the structure. Good economic times did not
last long, however, and the bank was forced to leave the building.
Its new location on College Street allowed it to profit, and in
1870 the Merchant's Bank was said to have a capital of $700,000
after having bought out First National Bank.(2)
The building was occupied by various organizations until 1903
when it was used for cold storage of butter and eggs.(3) It is
currently occupied by offices.
(1) Hamilton Child, Gazetteer
and Business Directory of Chittenden County Vermont (Syracuse:
Hamilton Child, 1882), 114.
(2) Ibid., 115.
(3) David Blow, Historic Guide
to Burlington Neighborhoods (Burlington: Chittenden County Historical
Society, 1991), 2.
Photo: Nate Bailly
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