"The Canal Street Schoolhouse is an extremely well-designed and well-built
structure in the Neo-Colonial style which symbolizes civic pride and care
lavished on ordinary public buildings of the late 19th Century. After its 1892
completion, it was said that "the building speaks for itself and like all things
of beauty, it will always be a joy and an honor to the town." Furthermore, it is
particularly noteworthy because of its use of local stone, rather than the
traditional materials of the Neo-Colonial style.
It is uncertain which architectural firm prepared the plans for the building.
In the Vermont Phoenix Newspaper (1/29/1892) it is reported that ... "Numerous
plans have been considered by the committee ...., of these one submitted by
McKim, Mead, & White of New York, seems especially desirable and the committee
are united in so considering it." The article states that the McKim, Mead, &
White design would be of brick or mountain stone. After completion of the
building, a booklet entitled With Interest, by the Vermont Peoples National
Bank, states that the Canal Street School ... "was designed by Robert Gordon
Hardie, built of local stone, and has become not only one of the local landmarks
of the town, but a building which students of architecture have admired as a
real achievement." No mention of Hardie is found in the Biographies of American
Architects, but it seems likely that he could have been employed by McKim, Mead
and White, and perhaps prepared the original plans submitted by them. The
contract for the construction of the building was awarded to Pellett Brothers of
Worcester, Vermont, formerly of Brattleboro, for $17,585.
The stone was locally quarried from the Wantastiquet Mountain, and was used
to face several other buildings in Brattleboro, including the Unitarian Church
and Home for the Aged. The details of the exterior walls, normally found in a
brick building of this style, are in stone. These features include the water
table, stringcourse, and radiating voussoirs above the windows.
The clock was purchased and installed in the tower through local
subscriptions. The face consists of a gold leaf sun burst at the center, with
stylized numbers and hands. After the clock was installed the district bought a
striking bell for the clock from the well known foundry of Meneely and Co., West
Troy, New York; it was installed in 1893. The clock mechanism, which worked on a
pully and spring principle, struck the bell on each hour and on the half hour.
At present the cables have broken and are in the partitions of the building. The
bell is currently rung by hand in the morning and afternoon. It is the only
operating school bell in Brattleboro, and one of the few remaining in the
State." - National Register
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