BRATTLEBORO, VT—With the countdown on for opening in early August, the Brooks House Development Team will host an Open House on Strolling of the Heifers weekend to allow folks a peek at progress.
A Brooks House representative will be available in the space that will be occupied by Duo Restaurant (at the corner of Main and High Streets) to provide updates on the construction, answer questions and provide information on spaces still to be leased. The Open House will be free and open to the public during Gallery Walk on Friday night and during the Strolling of the Heifers parade on Saturday.
“The Stroll Weekend brings many visitors to town and this provides a perfect opportunity to help spread the word about the Brooks House project and for anyone interested in the project to ask questions to members of the development team as well as several retail tenants,” says Ben Taggard, Brooks House Development.
When it is completed, the Brooks House will be an 80,000-sq-ft., fully renovated historic building consisting of 23 apartments; 18,000-sq.-ft of college space; 4,000-sq.-ft. of office space; and 32,000-sq.-ft. of retail, restaurants, cafes and shops. The newly restored lobby will lead to a new, two-story atrium that connects to shops and a renovated plaza. It will have many green features, a tavern space, and Duo Restaurant, which has expanded to Vermont from Denver.
On April 17, 2011, the Brooks House suffered a five-alarm fire that nearly destroyed the landmark building. Saving the Brooks House quickly turned into the project of a lifetime for New Urbanist Bob Stevens, founder and president of Stevens & Associates, a Brattleboro engineering and architectural firm. Stevens has long been recognized in Vermont for his commitment to the restoration and renovation of historic places around Brattleboro.
Stevens and four other local investors—Craig Miskovich of Downs Rachlin, Martin and Ben Taggard, Pete Richards and Drew Richards of The Richards Group – joined together to purchase, restore and renovate this downtown treasure. While, as the group admits, it may not have made economic sense, the five decided that saving Brooks House was essential to the future of Brattleboro.
Upon completion, the Brooks House will draw an entirely new group of residents living and working downtown, which along with the colleges, shops and restaurants, will have a major impact on Main Street for years to come—perhaps encouraging development in other older downtown buildings, strengthening economic development, bringing added sales for local businesses and making downtown more vibrant.
Lynn Barrett
802-258-3992, fax 802-258-4453
cell 323-627-4625
