Swanton Elderly Housing

2000 Swanton, VT
Adaptive reuse of school into elderly housing, and community spaces. $1.3M
Principal: Bob Duncan
Photography:  Sidney Eley

Built in 1910, the Swanton School was abandoned for school use and boarded up in the early ‘90’s. Sandy Kilburn, a local resident who’d attended school there, envisioned its reuse for senior housing, community meeting space and a community health center. With the technical assistance of the LCHDC, we were directed to develop and expand upon Sandy’s vision. Historic tax credits were utilized as part of the funding, so the strict requirements of the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards For Rehabilitation” were applied to the design.

Given its historic significance and intact historic features, including the main stairs and halls, the design concept for the housing focused upon creating 16 new housing units in the former classroom spaces while maintaining the tin ceilings in living rooms, bedrooms and common public halls. Enclosing the original stairs in glass, the public hall spaces have now become shared space for the residents. The tall windows and sufficient ceiling height of the lowest level allowed its transformation to the community meeting space, health center and after school program.