The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-03-28
To Erect Brick and Steel
F'ire-Proof Building
in Rear
WILL EXTEND TO
B. & M. RAILROAD
Price to Be Paid $4,000 =
To Sell Flat Street
Building

BrattlebOro's hundred-thOusand-do d-dollar
fire last week, which burned out the De-
Witt Grocery Co. on Flat street, is to
lead to increased business developments,
as most fires do. DeWeese p. Dewitt,
treasurer and manager and principal
stocEholder of the Dewitt Grocery Co,
bound an agreement yesterday afternoon
to buy of the WilliSton Walker estate the
Williston building on the east side of
Main street. next south of the town hall
building, with a view to erecting a ware
house in the rear ard to transferring the
companys business there. The price
agreed upon is $4,000. The purchase
was made through the Brattleboro Trust
Co.
The idea of buying the property came
to Mr.. Dewitt Saturday and the location
and general situation seemed so excep-
tionally advantageous that he took inn
mediate steps to secure it without wait
ing to call Il meeting of the stockholders.
Business real estate in town is changing
hands so rapidly that he felt that If hlS
plan became known there would be dan
ger that the property would be taken
over by someone else. Accordingly he got
in touch Immediately with the admin
istrator of the Walker estate IN New Ha-
II.
Trust Co. The building was owned by
the late Prof, Williston Walker of Yale
university, who died the 9th of the pres
ent month and who owned the Walker
summer residence at the junction of Will
liston and Linden streets. 1t had been
the intention of the company to re-eStab-
lish its business on the old site on Flat
street.
The Williston building is a three-story
structure with stone front and brick con
stFuetion in back. 1t has a frontage of
about 50 feet In the rear is long
wooden building adjoining the south part
Of the front building and running east
to the Boston & Maine railroad bank.
1t is the intention of the Dewitt
Grocery Co. to tear out this wooden build
ing and erect in its place a brick and
steel structure two stories high on the
upper level and five stories high on the
east end. near the railroad. This Will give
opportunity to load and unload at the
railroad, as IS done by the Dunham
Brothers Co. and viii avoid the large
expense now involved in carting to and
from the Flat street building. This ar
rangement will save from $4,000 to
5000 year in carriage expense. A
loading platform will be provided on the
upper level for the convenience of motor
trucks and teams. which will use the
driveway between the town hall and the
WiIliSton building.
An architect will be engaged and plans
will be worked out as soon as possible
so that the building can be erected this
year. 1t will be made as nearly fire.
proof as possible. Present plans are to
have the Office on the top floor. Eventual
" the roof OF the front building will be
changed, probably to a fiat roof, which
would improve the upper story as well
as the looks of the building and eliminate
the sliding of snow. The roof now Slants
toward the street
1t is not the present intention of the
company TO disturb the tenants of the
front building except that the storage
room in the rear used by ID. u. Cory,
who recently bought the former Scott
grocery store, viii be required by the
new building.
The WiIliston building was built many
years ago by the late y. h. Williston,
who was one of the towns foremost res
idents The ground floor contains two
stores The north store is occupied by o.
f. Randall & Son, jewelers. and the south
store by D. ID. Cory, groceries. On the
second floor are the offices of the New
York Life Insurance Co and United
Continued on Page g.