Brooks House Canopy

by tomaidh | Op/Ed | 2301 Views

Once the New Brooks House gets established, it would be interesting to add a new 2-Story canopy made to modern standards.

Comments | 6

  • Submitted by cgrotke on September 1, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    Just money...

    I asked early on about this and was told it could cost about $200k or so to reproduce.

    Ready to do a fundraiser?

    • Submitted by Vidda on September 1, 2014 at 6:46 pm

      Priorities?

      From a historical standpoint, the Brooks House veranda (much more than just a canopy) is quite an interesting read about the life of downtown Brattleboro of the past. Presently, as the cost of living escalates out of the reach of many, there may be priorities better suited to the future of our town.

      In addition to the costs, a new veranda would carry some logistical problems: height, length, weight bearing load, owner-operator indemnification, elevated travel control and access, aesthetics, to name a few.

      Maybe we should focus more on the developments already cooking on burners: upgrading fire-police facilities, skatepark(s), student residences and other costly ventures that are still only in planning stages.

      $200 grand (or so…) is an ungodly amount of money to throw into the hopper of downtown and town-wide projects.

      People here are increasingly having difficulty paying escalating rents. Maybe a better focus on affordable housing needs would be a way to chat up a boatload of money like that.

      Should I should mention potholes, bridges and other roadway priorities?

  • Submitted by DaveEvans on September 2, 2014 at 7:25 am

    If you look at the design,

    If you look at the design, this would never work. Neat idea though. Love the photos of the original.

  • Submitted by spoon on September 2, 2014 at 7:33 am

    terms

    What it referred to here has traditionally been called the ‘collonade.’ I’ll leave it to someone else to do the investigation of the difference.

    • Submitted by cgrotke on September 2, 2014 at 9:22 am

      The balcony

      In old newspaper accounts, it is called the Brooks House Balcony and was a spot for bands to perform, for people to assemble during parades, and would provide some morning shade for people under it.

      The markings for the ironwork’s feet should still be visible in the sidewalk out there.

      It’s a private building and private funds would be required to restore – hence the suggestion of fundraising. I bet it could be rented out for special occasions today with a good deal of success.

  • Submitted by Vidda on September 2, 2014 at 11:14 am

    Modern times

    The only info I’ve found so far about its removal is that it was removed in modern times.

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