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| VERMONT'S BUILDING - As may be seen in the
engraving, Vermont's headquarters adjoined the John Hancock house of
Massachusetts. Maine
was on the right, or eastward. The contrast
with a small-windowed colonial establishment was ruinous and this
Roman residence reproducing the home of a Pompeiian citizen at the
beginning of the Christian Era, was dwarfed and misconstrued before
the eye. The object of the hundred citizens through whose
contributions of one hundred dollars each this structure came into
existence, was to display to best advantage the marbles of Green
Mountain quarries and the marble court within, showing its Pompeiian
fountain, fulfilled the ambition of its projectors. The architect
who dealt with this problem of low expense, small area and imposing
neighbors was Jarvis Hunt, of Weathersfield, Vt. He spent $15,000.
Figures emblematic of Vermont industries sat on high and unsightly
pedestals, and very handsome caryatides supported the inner lintels.
Committee-rooms surrounded the interior court. The adaptation of
this form of house to great heats, made the place interesting and
popular among musicians and bystanders throughout the hot months.
There was also a hall in the rear of considerable dimensions and at
the dedication of the building in May, and on Vermont Day, later in
the year, distinguished companies of natives held receptions that
will arouse pleasant memories for years to come. There was no
display of products or relics here. |
