1973 Feasibility Study - Vail Manor - Lyndon State College

Publication

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Vail Museum

Cover panel of the bound Feasibility Study Of Manor Vail from 1973.: This study was commissioned by the State of Vermont for the purpose of assessing the structural integrity of Vail Mansion. Related to this engineering study, options were presented exploring potential restoration options and costs.
Cover panel of the bound Feasibility Study Of Manor Vail from 1973.

This study was commissioned by the State of Vermont for the purpose of assessing the structural integrity of Vail Mansion. Related to this engineering study, options were presented exploring potential restoration options and costs.

Name/Title

1973 Feasibility Study - Vail Manor - Lyndon State College

Entry/Object ID

2025.002.1

Description

This is the document that was commissioned by the State of Vermont from Alexander & Truex, Architects of Burlington, Vermont in 1973 to assist in the engineering and financial overview of how to deal with Vail Mansion on the Lyndon State College Campus in Lyndon Center, Vermont. The mansion was the Vermont home of Theodore N. Vail, the founding president of AT&T. The mansion and its 100+ rooms had been the centerpiece of the college since 1951 when Lyndon Teachers College moved up the hill from Lyndon Institute to its first dedicated campus, under the direction of LTC president Rita L. Bole.

Context

The mansion had fallen into disrepair from the wear and tear of student life and the increasing volume of students as the years went by. Vail Mansion was never intended to house a college campus. It was everything to the LTC students, including dorm, classrooms, dining hall, snack bar, lounge and recreational area. It served all functions other than gym, which was a separate building. As building codes and accessibility issues became components of more modern construction methods, Vail Mansion had also become outdated as much of its construction came about in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Code violations by more modern standards were many. This report was used to determine the fate of the mansion. The mansion was deemed structurally unsound in 1973 and sat vacant through the 1973-1974 school year. Despite many contentious debates and valiant efforts on the part of college faculty, staff, student body, alumni, the greater Lyndonville community and the State Legislature, the State of Vermont chose the least expensive option which called for the total destruction of Vail Mansion. The building was demolished during September and October of 1974. A new building opened on a similar footprint at the beginning of the fall semester in 1976. The new building was named The Theodore N. Vail Center and houses Vail Museum, the president's office, admissions, the snack bar, as well as scores of offices and classrooms.

Cataloged By

Scanning by Michael & Lydia Fournier. Catalogued by Michael Thurston.

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Linda Onsruth Toborg

Acquisition Date

2024

Notes/Remarks

Linda is a member of the MVS-Lyndon Committee

Provenance Detail

Dick Collins

Provenance Detail

A. R. Boera (Dick)