Figure 1. A section of the original Redstone Estate Wall. This curved section is located near the gatehouse and served as a picturesque entryway for the Buells and their guests.
The history of the landscape at the University of Vermont Redstone Campus predates Andrew A. Buell’s development of the Redstone Estate and extends well beyond his death. Buell and his family did play a significant role in developing the estate with its curved drives, gardens, groves of trees and a stone wall that runs along South Prospect Street in Burlington, Vermont. This wall is made from the same distnctive local redstone used for the estate buildings designed by Buell’s architects, Marling and Burdett.1 The wall also features two curved entryways that terminate with large stone posts which offer views up to the Redstone Mansion (see Figures 1 and 2).
Figure 2. Circa 1890 photograph of the Redstone Estate looking west showing the landscaped lawn and redstone wall along South Prospect Street and the gatehouse at the right. A portion of the Overlake Estate is on the left and the Adirondack Mountains are visible in the distance, highlighting the type of views which drew Andrew Buell to purchase the Hendee property. Courtesy UVM Special Collections.2
After the University of Vermont purchased the property in 1921 a number of alterations were made to the Redstone Campus. Drives were reshaped as the campus grew, outbuildings related to the Buell family were demolished, and ultimately the university developed its own landscaping program building features such as the Hyplar. During the 1990s the University of Vermont developed a master plan for its buildings and landscapes in which it committed to protecting the historic landscapes at Redstone Campus and preserving the open spaces that created positive aesthetic values on the campus.3
Figure 3. Topographic map of the Redstone Campus just after its purchase by the University of Vermont. The contour lines show how the land at Redstone slopes upwards, culminating at the mansion which commands the highest point in on the campus. Map from University of Vermont Special Collections Microfilm Archives.
The development of the Redstone landscape reflects an intersection of the desires of Andrew Buell who wanted to develop a picturesque landscape and the University of Vermont which wanted to make best use of the landscape for residential development. The intersection of those desires led to the destruction of some original features, the preservation of others, and the development of new architectural and landscaping elements that reflected the changing needs of a growing campus.
Figure 4. This surveyors map produced by the firm of McIntosh & Crandall Civil Engineers in 1917 shows the Redstone Campus as it stood after the death of Andrew Buell. The map shows a number of buildings such as the cottage, tool house, green house, and ice house that are no longer standing. It also showcases the original layout of pathways on the campus.
After Andrew Buell purchased 120 acres of land from the estate of Franklin J. Hendee he began to landscape the property to complement the buildings being erected. In 1890 he laid out a carriage drive from the east side of his mansion. The drive included a turn on a stretch of high ground that offered incomparable views of northern Vermont.4 Topographic maps from the era give a clear depiction of how Buell took advantage of the gently sloping landscape, which rises roughly thirty feet from the front gates along South Prospect Street to the mansion’s front door (See Figure 3).
Along the lower portions of the property Buell erected buildings such as the horse barn, however the high ground commanded by the Redstone Mansion and circular carriage drive is unobstructed, preserving the viewshed. Utilizing these natural contours allowed Buell to enjoy superb views of the surrounding landscapes. Additionally, it has been argued that Buell had a long-running feud with his neighbor Henry LeGrand Cannon and wanted to build a home that would look down on the Cannon’s Overlake estate.5 While it is impossible to verify if one-upmanship influenced Buell’s decision-making, it is undeniable that his home commanded some of the highest ground in Burlington.
Figure 5. Detail of the McKim, Mead, and White design from 1928. While the proposal would have left buildings from the Buell estate intact, it would have fundamentally altered the estate’s landscape plan, replacing the more picturesque landscape with a much more geometrically ordered arrangement of walkways and dormitories. Image from University of Vermont Silver Special Collections microfilm collection.11Figure 6. Artistic depiction of the Redstone Estate from 1937 showing changes to the campus following the construction of Slade Hall and the Southwick Memorial Auditorium. By this point the original curving drives remained intact as did the cottage where Michael Ryan lived.9 Image provided by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
In addition to taking advantage of the naturally rising landscape on his estate, Buell beautified the land with buildings and greenery. Buell built a cottage for some of his staff (See Figure 4), tucked away at the edge of his property and masked from the street by a large grove of trees. Additional buildings included the gatehouse, horse stable (later redeveloped as Robinson Hall), two barns (later demolished), and a greenhouse (later demolished). All around the house Buell laid out flowerbeds and planted fruit trees to beautify the landscape. Many years after selling the property Mary Twitchell (Andrew Buell’s daughter), described the estate to the Burlington Free Press as she remembered it.
The estate was magnificently landscaped, with flowers, shrubs and trees. Besides its superb views of [the] lake and mountains it also afforded a look at the Old Mill tower. In the path through the woods the Buells cultivated ferns and wild orchids; on the back road was a rose garden from which they cut two baskets full daily.6
The Twitchells also provided an in-depth description of the estate in The New Country Life, when they were attempting to sell the property.
"Redstone" Overlooking Lake Champlain… There are extensive lawns, a large orchard in bearing state and two groves of pine trees. A large garden plot has been planted for flowers and vegetables. The buildings comprise a house, garage, and stables, with house for chauffer or coachman, and lodge…Other houses are a farmer’s cottage, ice house, green house, tool house, and hay barns. Everything in first class condition.7
The Buell family developed this picturesque landscape over the thirty-two years they owned the property and the arrangement of trees, buildings, lawns, and gardens reflects the family’s desire to live in a healthful rural environment. After the University of Vermont purchased the Buell Estate in 1921, many of the landscaping elements recalled by Mary Twitchell were eventually uprooted or demolished. The alterations did not occur all at once, however over the following decades, buildings would come down, drives would be reshaped, and many of the more delicate landscape elements were destroyed by the ever-expanding women’s campus.
Figure 7. 1950s campus map showing alterations to the landscaping plan at Redstone. Following the construction of Coolidge Hall (41), the university removed the circular drive and develop a wide arc to provide better sidewalk access to the Southwick Memorial Building (40) and Coolidge Hall. Also visible is the Cottage/Keepers house at by the water towers at the left. The two artistic renderings shown here are some of the only depictions discovered of this now demolished residence.10 Image courtesy of UVM Special Collections.
The first noticeable alterations on the Redstone Campus took place during the construction of Slade Hall when the gardens were ploughed under. Circa 1953, the flow of Andrew Buell’s carriage paths were altered and the circular drive in front of the Redstone Mansion was removed in favor of a wide looping pathway that provided sidewalk access to Southwick Memorial Gymnasium and Coolidge Hall (See Figure 7). During this period a barn and the greenhouse were both demolished, and ultimately replaced with an asphalt parking lot. The cottage/keepers house (see Figures 4,5,6) was likely demolished circa 1965 and Buell’s second barn and ice house were also both destroyed.8 As a result of the university’s alteration to the landscape, the stone wall and entryway along South Prospect Street, pine grove along the northern edge of the property, and the lawn situated in front of the Redstone Mansion are the most intact landscape features from the Buell era.
While the University of Vermont made significant alterations to landscaping design developed by Andrew Buell and his family, the university’s changes could have been far more invasive. A 1928 design from McKim, Mead, and White shows a complete reworking of the landscape and buildings into a large symmetrical plan centered on Redstone Hall (See Figure 7). The proposal also featured a gridded system of plots for sorority houses which would face landscaped walks. As a proposal, the 1928 McKim, Mead, and White design would have furthered the university’s desire to concentrate all of its women’s housing at the Redstone Campus at the expense of the original picturesque landscape. Ultimately, the university opted against the McKim, Mead, and White development plan. Whether the university deemed the plans too costly, or the Great Depression shelved redevelopment plans is unknown. Regardless, McKim, Mead, and White would not be involved at Redstone again until 1934 by which time the university had opted to move in a different direction with its landscaping and building program.
Figure 8. The proposed dormitory from 1970. Image from University of Vermont Silver Special Collections microfilm collection.12
The McKim, Mead, and White plans were not the only instances of proposed alterations that would have radically altered the appearance of Redstone campus. In 1970 an architecture firm released plans for a large dormitory system to be located in the Redstone Pines. This dormitory would’ve taken the shape of a large X with a student common space located at the intersection of the four wings. Ultimately the university decided against erecting this building and the Redstone Pines have remained undisturbed since. Presently, the Redstone Pines hold a significant place in the student culture on the Redstone campus. On sunny days dozens of students can be seen enjoying the shade, sleeping in hammocks strung between the trees, reading, or playing games.
Figure 9. The Hyplar is a cement architectural piece built by the university’s civil engineering students in 1968.
The Hyplar (Figure 9) was built in 1968 by twenty-three students in Professor Burdett K Stearns’s civil engineering course and is one of the most significant landscaping features the university added to the Redstone campus.13 The students were tasked with designing a shelter and after seeing the design submitted by William R. Arnold they decided to build his shelter which took the shape of a hyperbolic parabola.14 As a design concept, the hyperbolic parabola was a form of thin shell concrete construction that developed after World War II and used concrete and a cantilevered form to support itself.15
By 1968 examples of buildings and structures that utilized thin shell construction and the curved shape of a parabola were appearing more frequently, it is likely that the effective use of this shape in construction inspired Arnold’s design and motivated the students to believe they could successfully erect the Hyplar. During the Hyplar’s construction, the twenty-three civil engineering students served as the construction crew and solicited material from local firms such as Vermont Structural Steel, the Philo Construction Company, and the Glens Falls Cement Company.16 Work started in March of 1968 and finished just before commencement that summer. Originally named the Hyperbolic Parabola based on the mathematical shape that inspired its design, the Hyplar became a popular location for photographs and lounging in the years after its construction (See Figure 10).
Figure 10. Photo from 1968 showing UVM’s Homecoming Queen candidates gathered on and around the Hyplar a few months after its completion. Image from the Vermont Cynic.17
Alterations to the Redstone landscape have been ongoing since 1889 and the campus will likely continue to change with the University of Vermont’s needs. Currently the campus has a master plan in place with a commitment to preserve green spaces such as the Redstone Pines and Redstone Green in front of Redstone Hall. Unfortunately, this commitment does not appear to extend to the stone wall which has several deteriorating sections. Maintenance of this wall along with the other landscaping elements at Redstone are key to preserving the character of this 130 year old campus. As buildings change to meet the student body’s needs and as the campus expands with the university the landscape remains one of the few constants which tie the Redstone Campus’s picturesque past as an estate farm with its collegiate present.
Notes
1 “University Buys Buell Property,” The Burlington Free Press, June 25, 1921, 1.
2. Oversized Photos, M. Coleman Twitchell Papers, Silver Special Collections, University of Vermont.
3. Linda Seavey, Campus Master Plan DRAFT, Email, December 17, 1996.
4. “Home Matters,” The Burlington Free Press, August 15, 1890, 8.
5. Elizabeth Kirkness, “Redstone Built as Part of Neighborhood Feud,” The Burlington Free Press, October 11, 1972, 23.
6. Ibid.
7. “Redstone Overlooking Lake Champlain,” The New Country Life 23 (1917). 14.
8. The dates of these demolitions are unknown.
9. Thomas Visser and Reid Larson, “Redstone Historic District,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination/Inventory Form, University of Vermont, Burlington, January 22, 1991, Photography 4.
10. Edward Sanborn, University of Vermont and State Agriculture College [map], Scale not given, Burlington, University of Vermont, 1959.
11. University of Vermont Plans, Microfilm files 81-6, 2945, Silver Special Collections, University of Vermont.
12. University of Vermont Plans, Microfilm files 81-6, 3171, Silver Special Collections, University of Vermont.
13. Roger Griffith, “Engineering Students Create Shelter-And This is a Shelter?” The University of Vermont Alumni Magazine 48, no. 6, (1968). 12.
14. Ibid.
15. “The Hyperbolic Paraboloid,” Concrete Construction,
16. Ibid.
17. “Homecoming Queen Candidates,” The Vermont Cynic, October 18, 1968, 7.
Redstone Hall
by Matthew Shoen
Figure 1. Redstone Hall, formerly Andrew Buell's Redstone Mansion.
Born in Whitehall, New York in 1841, Andrew Addison Buell made his career in the lumber trade and achieved prominent positions in a number of Canadian and American lumber firms including the Exporters’ Lumber Company, the business he was associated with at the time of his arrival in Burlington.1 In 1891 Buell secured partial interest in the R. Hurdman Company which had extensive timber rights in the forests of northern Canada and in that year, the firm reincorporated as Buell, Orr, Hurdman & Co.2 The company controlled over one billion feet of standing lumber in the Canadian wilderness around the Petawawa, Magnacippi, Mattawawa, and Kippewa Rivers while its mills had the capacity to saw upwards of 70,000,000 feet of timber each season.3 In 1896 the firm reincorporated as the Hull Lumber Company with Buell at its head, financial backing from a consortium of Canadian and American lumbermen, and capital stock of $600,000.4
In 1886 Andrew Buell came to Burlington, Vermont where he initially rented the Henry Loomis homestead on Pearl Street.5 Within a year Buell had purchased land from the estate of Franklin J. Hendee on South Prospect Street, at that time a largely undeveloped rural landscape on the city outskirts.6 The land commanded sweeping views of Lake Champlain, the Adirondacks, Mount Mansfield, and Vermont’s rich farm country.7 After completing his purchase, Buell hired the firm of Marling and Burdett to design a mansion house for his estate. Herbert Burdett had worked for Henry Hobson Richardson, and made use of locally available sandstone to design a three-story Richardson Romanesque mansion. Burdett also designed a horse barn, gatehouse, gardener’s cottage as well as a sandstone wall that ran the length of the property.8 A local electrician named George D. Sherwin electrified the mansion while J.R. Booth, who owned a large planning mill in Burlington, provided the woodwork adorning the building’s interior.9 Masonry contracts for the mansions construction were let to G.N. Willard who also supplied the sandstone blocks from the Willard Ledge, a local quarry.10
Figure 2. Redstone Mansion prior to the building’s purchase by the University of Vermont. Courtesy UVM Special Collections.
Records and newspapers indicate that at least initially Andrew Buell used the mansion, which came to be known as Redstone, as a summer home. Census data from New York shows that he was a resident of Buffalo, New York in 1892; newspapers reaffirm this claim, stating that Buell spent the winter months in Buffalo to be with his daughters who were getting their education in the city.11
The Buell family’s use of Redstone followed a common pattern among America’s Gilded Age elites during the late nineteenth century. These elites found it fashionable to summer in picturesque rural environments and winter in major cities. To this end, great estates were built throughout the northeast, often in proximity to major metropolitan centers, enabling businessmen to take a train to work if business required their personal attention. Buildings such as the Adirondack Great Camps and the Hudson River Valley mansions of are just some examples of the pattern of “rustic” living embraced by America’s well to do during the late nineteenth century.
While at Redstone, Andrew Buell occupied himself with horse races and even sold some of his animals to buyers in Vienna, Austria.12 Redstone also served as the location of important family gatherings such as the marriage of Buell’s daughter Mary to local doctor Marshall C. Twitchell.13 Over time it appears that the Buell family regarded Redstone as a home rather than a summer retreat. Census records from 1900 and 1910 show the family as Burlington residents, while the newlywed Twitchells’ returned to Burlington after their honeymoon with expectations to reside at Redstone.14 Ultimately, Andrew Buell died on February 25, 1916 after slipping on an icy sidewalk; the funeral, a small family affair took place at the Redstone.15
Figure 3. Redstone Mansion interior. Courtesy UVM Special Collections.
While the Buell family played a dominate role in shaping events at the Redstone Campus during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they were not the only family making use of the estate. Multiple families were employed on the property in order to manage the horses, tend the gardens, and take care of the Buell family. Census data from 1900 shows three other families living in buildings situated on the property and four female servants who lived in the mansion house.16 The servants living on the Redstone Estate primarily consisted of immigrants or first-generation Americans with most tracing their lineage back to Ireland. The Ockerblad family, first generation immigrants from Scandinavia were a notable exception. The family lived in the Redstone gatehouse from 1893 until 1909 while Otto Ockerblad served as Buell’s gardener.17 Michael Ryan, Buell’s teamster, even remained on the property as a custodian after the University of Vermont purchased the land in 1921.18 After the death of Buell’s wife Margaret in 1917 ownership of the Redstone Estate passed to Buell’s daughter Mary Twitchell and her husband. The couple were soon attempting to sell the property and advertised its availability in publications such as Country Life while simultaneously approaching local buyers.
In 1921, the Twitchells accepted an offer from President Guy Bailey of the University of Vermont who bought the property and grounds for fifty-thousand dollars with the intention of remodeling the property as a womens’ campus for the university’s growing population of female scholars.19 From 1921 until 1969 when the University of Vermont ended gender-based segregation in its residential facilities, the Redstone Campus served as a center of women’s life at the University of Vermont. As it had during the Buell Estate era, the Redstone Mansion would play a central role in events on campus during the next half century.In 1871 the University’ of Vermont’s trustees permitted women to enroll at the university in order to boost enrollment numbers that had not yet recovered from the Civil War.20 In 1875 Lida Mason and Ellen Hamilton became the first women to graduate from the University and during the following decades more women would enroll at the university, primarily in the fields of teaching and nursing. The growing population of female students required dormitory space and the university purchased private residences like Grasse Mount to house its female scholars.21
Immediately after World War I, the university saw a spike in female enrollment which put pressure on the hodge-podge system of women’s dormitories.22 Purchasing the Redstone Estate alleviated that pressure and the university hired architect Louis S. Newton to remodel the Redstone Mansion and Buell’s horse barn which provided enough dormitory space between the two buildings for one-hundred and six women.23 Newton’s changes primarily impacted the mansion’s interior where he converted many of the rooms into double bedrooms or bathrooms. On the building’s exterior, Newton replaced piazza’s wood flooring with red stone in an attempt to match the stone on the upper stories, put windows in the third story, and enclosed a balcony to expand a reception room.24
After the dormitory opened, the Dean of Women, Pearl Randall Wasson, took up residence in Redstone Hall, serving as house mother to the women living in the former mansion house.25 Over the following decades each of the Redstone Campus dormitories would have an older matriarchal figure who lived with the female students. The presence of a residential coordinator was not the only limitation placed on the women living on the Redstone Campus. Female students had a curfew and had to be in the dormitories by 11:30 pm Sunday through Thursday, by 12:30 am on Fridays, and by 1:00 am on Saturdays.26 This curfew policy existed until 1968 when student protests, coupled with a referendum by the university’s Women’s Student Government Association, led to an abolition of the curfew for upperclasswomen.27
Figure 4. Photo from the 1979 edition of The Ariel Yearbook showing UVM Students having a party on the Redstone Green.33 Based on attire and foliage this may be an Oktoberfest celebration.
By the early 1970s Redstone Hall was in need of major renovations. The building had experienced significant and persistent pluming issues and also needed to have its wiring overhauled.28 The proposed renovations for the building were ultimately estimated at $250,000, a steep figure given the university was then embroiled in a budgetary crisis that stemmed from rising inflation, maintenance and renovations costs, and the university’s decision to level enrollment numbers.29 After receiving the estimates, the university’s Buildings and Grounds Committee voted 5-3 against allocating funds for the renovation. Trustee Paul Lowe spoke for the majority arguing that renovating Redstone Hall was a poor financial investment and recommended that the committee look into using the building as a historic site.30 For the next two days Redstone Hall hung in limbo, however the university’s trustee’s ultimately reversed the Buildings and Grounds Committee’s decision and approved the $250,000 allocation and appointed architect Colin Lindberg to renovate the mansion house.31 Ultimately the building cost $330,000 to renovate and reopened for the students in the 1974/75 school year. Following the renovations of 1974, Redstone Hall has maintained its form and integrity. The building continues to serve as a dormitory and in 1990 the University of Vermont made the former mansion the center of a new program aimed at giving students who wanted to live in a substance free environment a place to live. 32
Throughout the 1990s Redstone Hall served as the home for students hoping to avoid disruptions to their education related to drug use, alcohol abuse and underage drinking. Presently Redstone Hall is a co-ed dormitory building and one of the most visually striking features on the Redstone Campus.
Notes
1. “Obituary, Andrew A. Buell,” The Burlington Daily News, February 26, 1916, 6.
2. Canadian Forest Industries 1894-1896 (Don Mills. Southam Business Publications, 1896), 16.
3. Ibid.
4. “Government Notices,” The Canada Gazette 20 no. 30 (1896).903-4.
5. “City and Vicinity,” The Burlington Free Press, April 22, 1887, 5.
6. “Notice,” The Burlington Independent, August 10, 1888, 5.
7. “Four Poor Folks Maybe,” St. Albans Daily Messenger, September 3, 1895, 2.
8. “University Buys Buell Property,” The Burlington Free Press, June 25, 1921, 1.
9. “Personal,” The Burlington Free Press, July 19, 1889, 5; “Home Matters,” The Burlington Free Press, January 17, 1889, 8.
10. “Notice,” The Burlington Independent, 5.
11. New York State Education Department, New York State Census 1892 (Albany. Office of Cultural Education 1892) 6, “For Poor Folks Maybe,”St. Albans Daily Messenger.
12. “On the Speedway,” The Burlington Free Press, December 13, 1905, 7; “State of Vermont,” The Bethel Courier, December 23, 1897, 5.
13. “Wedding at Redstone,” The Burlington Free Press, December 28, 1906, 7.
14. Ibid.
15. “Obituary, Andrew A. Buell,” The Burlington Daily News, 6.
16. U.S. Department of the Interior, Report on the Population of the United States. Twelfth Census, Schedule No. 1-Population (Washington DC. GPO, 1900), 14.
17. Elizabeth Kirkness, “Redstone Built as Part of Neighborhood Feud,” The Burlington Free Press, October 11, 1972, 23.
18. The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, The Vermont Bulletin 29, no. 6 (1922). 2.
19. “Fortunate Young Women,” The Brattleboro Daily Reformer, June 28, 1921, 2.
20. Jeffrey D. Marshall, Universitas Viridis Montis. An Exhibition of Documents and Artifacts Telling the Story of the University of Vermont 1791-1991 (Burlington. Queen City Printers, 1991), 40.
21. “The University of Vermont,” The Vermont Tribune, July 5, 1895, 6.
22. “University Buys Buell Property,” The Burlington Free Press, 1.
23. “Redstone is Ideal Women’s Dormitory,” The Burlington Free Press, May 19, 1922, 8.
24. Ibid.
25. “University Buys Buell Property,” The Burlington Free Press, 1.
26. Ed Myers, “Marching UVM Students Protest Coed Curfew,” The Burlington Free Press, November 2, 1967, 7.
27. “WSGA Referendum Calls for Constitution & Curfew Reforms,” The Vermont Cynic, March 1, 1968, 1.
28. “Redstone Hall to be Closed,” The Burlington Free Press, October 26, 1973, 21.
29. Katherine Gregg, “UVM Axe to Fall in Secret Budget Meeting,” The Burlington Free Press, October 7, 1974, 15.
30. Frederick Stetson, “Trustees Silent on Underpass,” The Burlington Free Press, April 20, 1974, 4.
31. “Trustees Approve Redstone Renovation,” The Burlington Free Press, April 22, 1974, 13.
32. Michael Allen, “Colleges Confront Student Alcohol Abuse,” The Burlington Free Press, August 26, 1990, 8G.
33. John T. Puma ed., The Ariel 1979 (Rutland. Tuttle Company, 1979), 14.
The University of Vermont Catholic Center
by Matthew Shoen
Organized Catholic services first took place at the University of Vermont in 1906 when, under the leadership of Reverend William P. Crosby, the Catholic Club formed.1 The club organized to “promote the religious and literary education of its members,” and contained roughly fifty members, thought club members were confident this number would quickly grow.2 The Catholic Club changed its name to the Newman Club in 1921, a move reflected across many Catholic student organizations in non-sectarian colleges which rechristened themselves as Newman Clubs during the 1920s.3 The Newman Club of the University of Vermont took part in fraternal gatherings and social events with Burlington groups, hosted campus events with guest lecturers, and generally provided Catholic students a community in which they could celebrate and practice their faith.4 The club held its meetings at different locations around campus and in the greater Burlington area including Cathedral High School. In 1951 the Arnold House at 118 Pearl Street served as the club’s headquarters, however the club still lacked a dedicated worship space for the performance of rituals.5 This situation changed in 1962 when the University of Vermont decided to make available a parcel of land on the Redstone Campus for religious denominations to lease and construct faith buildings upon.6 Within a year, the Catholic Diocese of Burlington indicated its interest in the land and commenced development of the Newman Catholic Center.7
Figure 1. The University of Vermont Catholic Center.Figure 2. A Ralph Branon sketch published in the September 23, 1963 edition of The Burlington Free Press.12
Under the leadership of Reverend Robert F. Joyce, the Bishop of Burlington, Father Philip Branon, the University of Vermont’s Catholic chaplain, and Dr. John C. Cunningham, a local doctor and active member of the Catholic community, a $500,000 building campaign took shape. 8 The proposed Catholic Center would consist of two interconnected components. St. Augustine Chapel, a worship space capable of seating 150 people and Joyce House, a learning and living center which would consist of lecture hall classrooms, a library, the chaplains offices, a student lounge and dining facilities, above this would be living quarters for the chaplain.9 The design for the proposed building was provided by local architect Richard Branon, Father Branon’s brother. In his design Branon sought to place the Catholic Center in the context of its environment, using the steeply sloped roof to mimic the rugged mountain landscape east of Burlington while maintaining the symbolic cruciform shape so critical to Catholic liturgy.10 The chapel’s design also took into account new ideas about the relationship between priests and laity which percolated during the Second Vatican Council, more commonly known today as Vatican II. In St. Augustine’s Chapel pews were arranged in a semi-circular pattern so that worshipers were no more than forty feet from the alter, while the circular nave provided a more intimate worship experience. These design choices reflect the broad mandates of Vatican II and the Roman Catholic Church’s desire to strengthen the relationship between priests and worshipers. Branon’s design received praise in the community and in 1968 the Chittenden Historical Society cited the Catholic Center as one of twelve noteworthy architectural improvements built in Chittenden County in the previous year. 11
Figure 3. Father Branon with a model of St. Augustine’s Chapel and the Joyce House his brother had designed. The model displays some differences from the building as it would ultimately develop. These differences are most notable in the model’s more cruciform shape and its tapered spire.13 Image courtesy of the UVM Catholic Center.
With Ralph Branon’s design in hand, Reverend Joyce, Father Branon, and Dr. Cunningham began to solicit funds from the Catholic community in Vermont. At the outset, students at the university pledged $10,000 to the building campaign, ultimately raising $40,000 for the center’s construction.14 Later campaigns were initiated in Barre and Rutland with $40,000 sought from each community.15 $150,000 came from the Diocese of Burlington, representing the largest contribution of any organization. Within two years the necessary funds had been assembled and construction commenced on July 26, 1965 with a groundbreaking ceremony and blessing by Father Branon. 16 Construction ended less than a year later and on May 8, 1966 when Cardinal Richard Cushing, the Archbishop of Boston, arrived to bless the Newman Catholic Center in a ceremony that included the celebration of Mass inside the Patrick Gymnasium and dinner at Marsh Hall. 17 In 1972 the Newman Catholic Center officially renamed itself the Cunningham-Newman Center to honor Dr. Cunningham’s contributions to the center’s construction as well as his other significant contributions to local charitable and professional organizations. 18
Figure 4. Photograph of the Joyce House as it originally appeared. Prior to the renovations in 2000, the Joyce House had a projecting roof. Image courtesy of the UVM Catholic Center.
In the years following Cardinal Cushing’s dedication of the Newman Catholic Center, St. Augustine Chapel became a center of Catholic activity both among students at the University of Vermont and the broader community. Priests held daily mass and administered the Sacraments to the over 1,100 Catholic students at the University of Vermont and later nearby Champlain College.19 Missionary and service programs were also supported throughout these years and students supported by the center traveled throughout the United States and abroad to complete service projects. Outside the university, local couples chose St. Augustine Chapel as their wedding venue and dozens of marriages were consecrated inside the chapel.20 Though they occurred less frequently, baptisms and memorial services were also held inside St. Augustine’s Chapel. The Catholic center also held secular events such as a political discourse between Democrat, Republican, and Liberty Union party members including future Vermont senator Bernard Sanders. 21
Figure 5. The original entryway to the Newman Center. This entryway would be completely modified in 2001, widening the connecting space to provide more study rooms and functionality to the students. Image courtesy of the UVM Catholic Center.
In the year 2000 the Burlington Diocese decided that the Cunningham-Newman Center needed to be renovated and expanded to better serve its ministry. Heavily used by students and community members the church lacked adequate space for its larger events. Architect Brad Rabinowitz was hired to design and expand the church complex and under the leadership of Monsignor Michael DeForge funds were collected to replace the roof, renovate the second story, and improve the landscaping.22 Additional improvements included completely remodeling the connecting wing that joined the chapel with Joyce House. Work in this section of the center involved widening the entire building to create study rooms and provide more space for the chapel’s kitchen. The kitchen expansion allowed the center to expand upon its food service projects and continue supporting organizations such as the Salvation Army while also providing food for a number of large annual campus events. The expansion was competed in 2001 and Bishop Kenneth Angell rededicated the Catholic Center that year.
Figure 6. Brad Rabinowitz’s architectural drawings for the expanded Catholic Center. Expansions to the connecting wing, changes to the Joyce House’s roof, and the addition of a garage (far left) are the most significant modifications to the religious complex.23 Image courtesy of the UVM Catholic Center.
Since the completion of renovations in 2001, the Catholic Center has maintained an important place in campus life and in the greater Burlington community. The center serves as a study space for students, a meal preparation center for university organizations, a worship space, and the center of Catholic life at the University of Vermont. The church’s ministries also sponsored retreats, pilgrimages, and short study abroad programs for students interested in visiting international Christian sites. The center also currently serves as the residence for several Franciscan Sisters who minister to the needs of the campus and community. While the campus mission has expanded to encompass a greater variety of activities, the core ideas of faith that inspired the Catholic Club to form in 1906 are still driving the UVM Catholic Center.
Notes
1. “Celebrating 50 Years,” The Catholic Center at UVM, https.//www.uvmcatholic.com/history.html.
2. “Society Organized,” The Burlington Free Press, September 12, 1906, 7.
3. “Former Catholic Club Now Newman Club of University,” The Vermont Cynic, October 29, 1921, 6.
4. “Habits of the Canadian,” The Burlington Daily News, December 12, 1912, 5.
5. “Former Arnold Home to be Newman Club Center,” The Burlington Free Press, August 9, 1951, 3.
6. David J. Blow, Historic Guide to Burlington Neighborhoods, vol. 2, ed. Lillian Baker Carlisle (Burlington. Chittenden County Historical Society, 1997), 163.
7. “History of Construction of Chapel,” Anniversary Celebration Materials, UVM Catholic Center Archives, Burlington.
8. “Newman Center Seeks $500,000,” The Burlington Free Press, September 28, 1963, 10. Dr. Cunningham took charge of the building fund after the building campaign started.
9. “$40,000 is Sought Here to Build Catholic Center,” Rutland Daily Herald, November 18, 1963, 18.
10. Gail Callahan, “Catholic Center Marks 50 Years of Faith at UVM,” The Burlington Free Press, April 17, 2016, 2G.
11. “County Historical Society Will Cite 12 ‘Improvements’,” The Burlington Free Press, July 5, 1968, 22.
12. “Drive Opens for Catholic Center at UVM,” The Burlington Free Press, September 28, 1963, 10.
13. 50th Anniversary Historic Billboard, A Home for the Catholic Students at UVM 1966, Anniversary Celebration Materials, UVM Catholic Center Archives, Burlington.
14. “UVM Catholic Center Dedicated,” The Burlington Free Press, May 9, 1966, 13.
15. “Drive for UVM Catholic Center Opens in Barre,” The Burlington Free Press, October 24, 1963, 15.
16. Callahan, “Catholic Center Marks 50 Years of Faith at UVM,” 2G.
17. “UVM Catholic Center Dedicated,” The Burlington Free Press, 13.
18. 50th Anniversary Historic Billboard, Dr. John C. Cunningham, Anniversary Celebration Materials, UVM Catholic Center Archives, Burlington.
19. “Cardinal Cushing to Dedicate New Catholic Center at UVM,” The Burlington Free Press, February 24, 1966, 15.
20. “Leslie Morrison Weds James Morey,” The Burlington Free Press, May 14, 1975, 7.
21. “The Catholic Center at UVM 50th Anniversary Gala Fundraiser- Our History,” 3.
22. Callahan, “Catholic Center Marks 50 Years of Faith at UVM,” 3G.
23. Brad Rabinowitz Architectural Drawings, 2000, Buildings Archives, UVM Catholic Center Archives, Burlington.
Mason-Simpson-Hamilton Halls
By Matthew Shoen
After World War II ended millions of young Americans returned from the battlefields of Europe and Asia in search of an education. Using tuition assistance provided by the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, young men attended college in greater numbers than ever before. The University of Vermont was not excluded from this national trend and after World War II enrollment at the university jumped from 1,300 to 3,000 students.1 Other colleges in the Burlington saw similar increases and after World War II Trinity College and St. Michael’s College began to expand their physical plants.2
Figure 1. Mason-Simpson Halls, looking east
The spike in enrollment created serious problems for the University of Vermont which lacked the capacity to house all of its students in the existing dormitories. Temporary dormitories, essentially small trailers, were built to house the incoming students while many women were housed in Old Mill, Converse, and East Hall.3 By the early 1950s the university concluded that this arrangement was untenable and commenced a building campaign centered on the construction of a new women’s dormitory complex on the Redstone Campus. The campaign’s overarching goal was to concentrate female students at the Redstone Campus, freeing Old Mill and other smaller buildings for redevelopment.4
Figure 2. Hamilton Hall, looking east
Construction of the new women’s dormitory, named Mason-Simpson-Hamilton Halls, commenced in 1955 with a cornerstone laying ceremony. The Burlington architectural firm of Freeman, French, Freeman designed the dormitory complex which consisted of three four-story interconnected wings that would house four-hundred women and provide dining facilities for six-hundred students.5 The dormitory complex was executed in the International Style and primarily composed of brick with steel sash on the exterior and concrete block and structural glazed tile on the interior.6 The university named each wing of the complex for an important female graduate with Hamilton Hall named after Ellen Hamilton, Mason Hall named for Lida Mason, and Simpson Hall named after Mary Jean Simpson.7 The University financed the $1,800,000 project with a bond which was repaid by raising the dormitory rates across campus.8 This same scheme had been successfully used to finance many campus buildings erected after World War II including Coolidge Hall, Buckham Hall, Chittenden Hall, and Wills Hall.9 Construction of Mason-Simpson-Hamilton Halls took place between 1955 and 1957 and the dormitories were ready for occupation in the fall of 1957. Inside the buildings Freeman, French, Freeman installed an intercom system that connected each floor to the lobbies which allowed guests, particularly male callers, to ring the residents without venturing outside of the public lounges.10 Hush phones were also installed on each floor, these phones were deeply recessed into the walls and allowed residents a modicum of privacy while they discussed personal business with friends or family.11
Figure 3. Mason-Simpson-Hamilton just after their completion in 1957. This photograph looking east also shows the future quad as an open green field prior to University landscaping it.
While Mason-Simpson-Hamilton Halls were initially conceived as the key to bringing women at the University of Vermont together on the Redstone Campus this stated goal was upended within eleven years of the dormitory complex’s completion. In 1968 the university’s trustees decided to end gender-based segregation in the dormitories and over the following years the Redstone Campus’s dormitories were integrated by gender.12 After the dormitories were integrated, Mason-Simpson-Hamilton Halls retained its form for the next two decades. A renovation campaign took place in 1987 during which the university spent $3,000,000 renovate the bedrooms, install new bathrooms, new roofs, interior fixtures, and double-hung windows.13 Another repair campaign commenced in 2011; similar to the repairs in 1987 the university requested contractors provide bids for exterior repairs to the building envelopes, and interior renovations, though these were limited to Simpson Hall.14 Since the completion of these renovations Mason-Simpson-Hamilton Halls seen little change. The dormitories form a rough quadrilateral with two other residential complexes at the Redstone Campus, Christie-Wright-Patterson Halls, and Wing-Davis-Wilks Halls. The green space these dormitories center on is a center of student activity and each year thousands of students pass the time sitting in the shadow of Mason-Simpson-Hamilton Halls.
Notes
1. “University of Vermont Expands Rapidly,” The Burlington Free Press, September 15, 1962, 12.
2. John Mullins, “Five More Scheduled to be Built Here,” The Burlington Free Press, March 8, 1960, 22.
3. “The Key is Ready,” Bulletin of the University of Vermont 54, no. 6 (1957). 14.
4. “Redstone Campus. UVM Gathering Again Its Scattered Coeds,” TheBurlington Free Press, July 9, 1963, 9.
5. “The Key-UVM Development,” Bulletin of the University of Vermont 52, no. 5 (1955). 15.
6. “The Key is Ready,” Bulletin of the University of Vermont, 15.
7. Hamilton and Mason were the first two women graduates of the University of Vermont (Class of 1875) while Mary Jean Simpson served as the Dean of Women at the University of Vermont from 1937 until 1954.
8. “UVM to Raise Dormitory Rates Next September,” The Burlington Free Press, April 1, 1960, 21.
9. Ibid.
10. “Quiet, Privacy Feature New UVM Residences,” The Burlington Free Press, April 30, 1957, 15.
11. Ibid.
12. Presently, Mason-Simpson-Hamilton Halls offer a mix of co-education floors and single-gender floors.
13. “We Did It,” The Burlington Free Press, August 30, 1987, 4.
14. “Request for General Contractor,” The Burlington Free Press, February 10, 2011, 25.
