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Projects:
May 24, 2003 Fire on Main Street
Main Page
-- click on image for larger view --
The photograph above is courtesy of
Jeb Wallace-Brodeur of the Times Argus
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Holiday Season 2003
A bit of The Country Store be open at Stevens and Company (71 Main Street) from November 3rd through
the holidays, at least. They will offer Nicholas Mosse, Lake Champlain Chocolates,
Simon Pearce and Irish Candles and other items that fit it.
Won't it be great to see Carole and Heather behind a counter!
And how generous of Jack Callahan to share his store.
That's what makes Montpelier a great place.
Overview
May 24, 2003 began like most other spring Saturdays in downtown Monptelier, with area
residents and visitors enjoying the leisure delights of the weekend; but by 3:00 PM,
a fire would devastate two historic downtown commercial buildings on Main Street,
displace several businesses and customers, and leave behind a sense of shock and loss
that we had not known since the flood of 1992.
The only comfort to be taken was in the fact that no one was physically harmed.
Through these pages we hope to mark this terrible event in Montpelier's history and monitor how what happens next affects Montpelier's future.
Historic Retrospective
Both of the buildings were on the National Register for Historic Places. Though little information is available about the buildings themselves, both are evident in photographs that pre-date the fire that devastated most of Main Street in 1875. There is speculation that the Country Store building was originally built around 1805, which would make it one of the oldest wood-framed buildings standing in Montpelier. Historic photographs of these buildings will be posted to this page in the near future.
Community Outreach
How you can help Montpelier and the Folks Affected by the Fire
June 2, 2003
Dear Friends,
Following is an update on the status of businesses affected by the fire.
- The buildings have been stabilized and the portions of the brick wall
presenting an eminent hazard were taken down on Friday.
- Now begins the task of disassembling the brick building, so that
the fire investigation may continue. The process must be very cautious,
in that removing material in one area may destabilize other sections. We believe
it will take about two weeks to continue the demolition of the building. No
decisions have been made about disposal of the brick.
- Brooks Drugs continues to be effected by this disaster. In the view
of the engineers working on this effort there is enough of a chance that the
brick wall could fall and hit the wall of the Brooks Drug Store, that they
have recommended not using the space adjacent to the alley. This is creating
a tremendous burden for the store given that their operational center (a.k.a.
office and computers) is in the front corner adjacent to the wall. I am impressed
with store manager Carl Machaud's concern for public safety and dedication
to ensuring his pharmacy customers are served.
- Play It Again Sam has since relocated to 89 Main Street and is now called Guitar Sam. full contact info can be found HERE. (this info was added by webmaster subsequent to release of Mary Hooper's Email update)
- This community continues to show its generosity and support in many ways.
The Onion River Arts Council was immediately besieged with questions of how
to assist and has organized the Phoenix Fest. The festival was held
on Sunday June 8th from to noon to 7 pm at the Vermont College Green. Admission was $10/person
or $25/family. All (and that really means everything) has been donated, so
all of the proceeds were given to the people affected by the fire. In addition,
the Artisan's Hand helped with a festival raffle. Over 20 items were
raffled off.
- The City Manager, Bill Fraser, asked city employees to voluntarily move
their cars to parking lots away from the core of downtown. There is plenty
of free parking on Stone Cutters Way and sunshine is predicted for
the rest of the week. Day long parkers, please consider moving your vehicle
out of the downtown. Many businesses have been affected by the fire, loss
of parking and other disruptions. Helping to free up parking makes a difference
to these businesses.
- Things I have learned-maybe you all knew them already:
- -- Make sure you have enough insurance.
-- Thanks to the foresight of at least one employer, loss of employment
insurance is making a big difference in the lives of their employees-and
I suspect provides a great deal of relief to the employers, who do not have
to worry quite as actively about their employees.
-- Sprinklers work. Let me know if you would like information on tax
credits for downtown property owners, which hold down the cost of installation
of sprinklers as well as other building improvements.
The Lost Nation Theater held a final dress rehearsal of the 1940's
Radio Hour on Wednesday June 18th at 7:30 as a benefit for the people
affect by the fire. Donations were accepted at the door.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I'll try to keep you informed via this medium.
Mary Hooper,
223-9604
(former) Executive Director, Montpelier Downtown Community Association
(Mary is now the Mayor of Montpelier - Heather Shouldice is the current Executive Director of the MDCA. She can be reached at the same phone number)
http://www.mdca.org
Updated April 13, 2006
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