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American Legion Post #3 at 21 Main Street is housed in one of the few wood frame buildings remaining downtown. It probably dates from just after the Montpelier Fire of 1875 that flattened this area of the city. In this 1915 photograph P.J.…

The hotel we know as the Capitol Plaza was built as the Montpelier Tavern in 1932, a three-story hotel replacing an 1826 wood-frame hotel on the same site. A fourth story was added above the cornice line in the 1940s as seen in the top photograph.…

The building at 107 State Street, formerly known as the Thrush Tavern and now housing Pho Capital, is the youngest of four Federal style residential buildings in a short section of the north side of State Street. Silas C. French, a boot and shoe…

The Washington County Courthouse has stood the test of time. Constructed in 1844, before railroads came to town, it has presided over State Street for 176 years. It originally had a smaller, architecturally appropriate tower. The tower was damaged in…

The Capitol Theater on State Street is a rare example of the Art Deco style in Vermont. An earlier Colonial Revival-style theater on this site was destroyed by fire in 1939, providing an opportunity to bring a contemporary style to downtown…

In the 19th century, the north side of State Street between the Pavilion Hotel and the County Court House hosted large, imposing homes. One of the earliest was 89 State Street, the c. 1810 Federal style home built by Hezekiah Reed and now owned by…

In the late 19th century Elm Street was home to many mechanics and small manufacturers. Today, all of the small buildings between State and Langdon Streets are gone. The small building to the right of the telephone pole in the top picture was…

Montpelier was served by two railroads, the Central Vermont coming through Montpelier Junction to the west and the Montpelier and Wells River (MWRR) coming from the Barre to the east. The shops of the MWRR lined the banks of the Winooski River where…

The French Block, the longest block in downtown Montpelier, was constructed after the great fires of 1875 that destroyed buildings on Main, State and Barre Streets. The block, designed by Montpelier architect and mayor George Guernsey and seen here…

At the turn of the last century, Charles A. Smith, a dealer in granite and marble, displayed his four teams of horses, the last one pulling a large block of granite, outside of his storefront at 22 Main Street, known as the Bacon Block, where the…

Although many buildings in downtown Montpelier retain their original appearances, the look of this building at 45 State Street has evolved over time. Constructed in 1874 by James Langdon, this building originally housed the post office and other…

The Washington County sheriff’s office at 10 Elm Street was ordered by mail from the Pauly Jail Company of St. Louis, Missouri, for $23,000 in 1900. A local crew constructed the building that featured a Queen Anne style home for the jailer in the…