A major milestone in the first phase of the rehabilitation of the Brandon High School is nearing completion. We invite Brandonites to take a stroll by and enjoy the transformative change to the appearance of the building as decades of neglect are erased, restoring a beautiful gem of early 20th century public school architecture. The school marked the beginning of the era of progressive education in Vermont and charted the successful futures of many Brandon youth in an age of rapid industrialization and modernization.
The goal for this phase was to address the overall appearance and weather-tightness of the exterior facade through a faithful restoration of all the windows, doors and related exterior woodwork. The work commenced last fall in the basement workshop, staffed with a skilled crew of an architectural conservator, woodworkers, builders, and volunteers from ReBHS. All the windows and doors were removed, cataloged and assessed for condition, with an individual plan developed for any needed repairs. Custom tooling was designed and fabricated to reproduce the original molding profiles and special joinery. Many of the sash were in poor condition, with decayed or missing wood and glass components. A significant number of sash were missing entirely. Two complete window units had to be replicated to replace ones that had been removed and their openings bricked over sometime in the past.
Jeff Dardozzi cutting one of the hundreds of pieces of glass to go in the restored sash.
There are 65 wooden window units, with a total of 130 individual sash. Each salvageable sash was deglazed, scraped, and repaired. New bars and muntins, stiles, and rails were custom-milled to replace damaged pieces as needed. New sash were fabricated to replace missing or unsalvageable ones. All sash were primed, reglazed, and painted with two coats of a color appropriate to the period. In an effort to restore the West Seminary side to its original 1916 appearance, the two bricked-up windows on either side of the main entrance were replaced with reproductions of the original window units. All grade-level windows were restored to their original configuration.
Painters, Jaderson and Micheal preparing old sash for fresh paint.
The classroom windows originally featured upper sash with special sunlight-diffusing architectural glass. This glass reduced glare and direct sunlight, creating a more comfortable learning environment for students. Many of the original panes of this type of glass were broken, missing, or had been replaced with clear glass through the years, giving the public facade a somewhat mottled and disordered appearance. This particular type of glass is no longer made, so the decision was made to harvest usable panes from the east facade windows so that the west facade could be uniform and as historically accurate as possible. It’s worth noting that the closest matching type of architectural glass that could be located cost $150 per pane. While the historical value of the original glass has not been determined, the replacement cost of 324 panes in the west facade with a reasonable facsimile would run close to $50,000 just for the glass! Many sash also required clear glass replacements. Keeping with the commitment to reuse materials wherever possible, a large quantity of glass from the old storm windows was salvaged and repurposed in the reconditioned sash.
Dan Brett and Wyatt Waterman salvaging architectural glass lites.
The restoration of the doors was led by Oak Slavin, a resident of Middlebury and Brandon and an architecture student at Bard College. This is Oak’s second summer interning on the school project. As the doors were removed, examined, and deconstructed for salvageable parts, it became apparent many had been modified through the years as repairs were made. There was, at the time, little concern for historical integrity, and the repairs were often makeshift. Effort was made to restore all the doors to their original design, down to the moldings. Not much of the original door hardware survives, but what does will be restored and reinstalled. Missing hardware will be sourced through architectural salvage firms to find sympathetic replacements. Lastly, all the entryways have nearly been restored, with special attention given to the north entrance and the careful removal of what was probably the oldest beehive in Brandon. The next phase of work, to be completed this fall, includes new electrical service and a new roof on the rear addition.
Oak Slavin restoring original exterior doors.
This work could not have happened without the hard work and dedication of Dan Brett, Oak Slavin, David Martin, Shea Hagy, Wyatt Waterman, Emil Dardozzi, Jaderson and Micheal.
The vision for the school still remains a mixed-use project featuring innovative housing and community space, as well as a home for ReBHS, the organization behind the Toolships, the Repair Fair, and the Art Bikes of Brandon — with more projects to come.
Photo credits: Jeff Dardozzi and David Martin
