The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-05-19
ECONOMICAL PROPOSAL
REDSTONE PROPERTY SUGGEST
ED AS DESIRABLE SITE.
New Plan Whereby the City Can Sc
cure High School Building and
Grounds and Eject Saving of
100000.

Some citizens interested in public
affairs have been Investigating a new
plan for High School building and
believe the suggestion they have to
make to the special city meeting
this evening will if adopted eff
feet saving of 10000 or more to
the city while not in the least i'm
pairing the benefs expected from
the new building the CITY mas ordered
erected.
Another point of interest is that if
the plan is adopted the new quarters
can be occupied at the opening of the
school year next September, whereas
otherwise another years delay must
ensue and the efficiency of the schools
will be hampered as it has been in
the year just closing by lack of prop
er accommodations.
Briefly, the plan is to purchase
Redstone, the summer home of Prof
j. w. Burgess, with several acres
of land adjoining, and to convert it
into high school building. The prop
erty can be bought for $4,000 and
the changes and alterations necessary
to convert the house into a school
building will not cost more than $10,-
600 additional. The city has already
voted to eXpend 100000 for new
building and site and the equipment
of the building would cost several
thousand dollars more. The cost. even
If some site less expensive than that
on LOOMS street should be taken,
would be more than 100000, while
the Redstone property can be placed
in condition ready for occupancy for
$4,000, or a saving of more than 80
per cent. of what had been expected.
This economy which can be effected
without any loss of efficiency will ap-
peal to every taxpayer in the city.
In the past 20 years Prof. Burgess
has created a splendid estate and
when he decided to dispose of his
holdings in Montpelier it was his first
idea that the property should be sold
as a whole. But the entire property.
which includes Redstone, the Jewett
homestead and large eXpanse of
timbered and pasture land, is some
thing for which a purchaser could
not readily be found No single indi-
vldual, unless possessed of large
means, could afford 10 buy and main
tain such an estate Some syndicate
might take it and cut it up into
building lots, but that would mar the
beauty of the place which has be-
come a feature of the city and which
all recognize ought to be kept intact
as far as possible.
1t has therefore been decided that
the property may be divided and sold
in parcels, provided Redstone is sold
first. When this was learned some cit
liens investigated the matter with a
view to proposing that the property
be taken for school purposes. This
is the result of their investigation.
Redstone itself, magnificent coun-
try residence, with eight or ten acres
of land surrounding it, can be pur-
chased for $4,000 and the house put
in shape for school purposes for $1O,-
OOO more, saving to the city of $780,
OOO or more from what it had been
expected the new building and grounds
would cost.
The rooms in the building are large
and we'll lighted and practically all
the changes needed to convert the
residence into school building would
be the removal of few partitions. No
general remodeling ana no extensive
changes would be necessary. The
house will furnish all the room re-
quired for reception hall and wait
ing room, superintendent and prin-
cipal's office, library and reference
room, assembly and recitation rooms
and laboratories. and is literally sup
piled with toilet rooms. The upper
story, floored but not finished, would
afford ample room for social assem-
blies.
Very little filling al the rear of the
building would afford campus larg-
er than is really required for foot
ball and baseball ground, campus
better than that at the seminary and
better than that of any other High
School in the State.
To convert dwelling into a school
house is a novel proposition in this
part of the country, but it is really
nothing new and has been tried else
where with good results.
The location itself is ideal. high.
airy, on sandy soil, amidst handsome
grove, with splendid outlook over the
city, with all the seclusion of priv
ate institution and close enough to
the city itself. There are three en-
trances-from State, Baldwin and
Terrace streets, so the grounds are
readily accessible. The driveway en-
ters from Terrace street and extends
entirely around the grounds as well
as directly to the building.
The location is as desirable as any
that has been suggested and more de-
sirable than some of them. To secure
such grounds as these anywhere else
in the city would cost almost as much
as this entire property, or. to reverse
the statement, this property can be
put in shape for immediate occupancy
at cost not much greater than the
cost of building site and play
ground elsewhere.
There have been some suggestions
of building ward school houses in diff
ferent parts of the city, instead of a
high school building, on account OF
the economy that would thereby be
! effected Such n n1an wOuld no on