Spaulding School Building

The Spaulding School is Packard's interpretation of a popular mid-19th century architectural style known as Richardsonian Romanesque, named for the work of prominent Victorian architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1881).

In red brick and Barre granite, Packard referenced the weighty, polychromatic Romanesque style with large, round-arched entranceways, recessed windows with contrasting sills, carved capitals, and the characteristic towers and turrets.

In order to serve Barre's expanding population, an annex containing six new classrooms, an auditorium and a gymnasium was built in 1914 to complement the original facility.

In 1996, the Vermont Historical Society, looking for a new building to house its collections and expand its services, approached the City of Barre about the possibility of using the empty school.

Today, the first and second floor reception foyers feature the school's original wainscoting made of American chestnut, now an endangered species.

In the library "stacks" room on the second floor, stained glass windows, hidden many years by a suspended ceiling, have been exposed and restored.