Letter from Monk: agreement signed to sell three campus buildings to 150 Main Street LLC
February 14, 2023
Dear VCFA Faculty,
I am writing to update you on news related to the sale of some of the buildings on VCFA campus. After a comprehensive and careful review of potential buyers, we have a signed agreement with a local group, 150 Main Street LLC, to purchase three campus buildings: Crowley, Martin House and the Gary Library.
Our efforts have been guided by a commitment to identifying buyers that would continue enriching our campus and the broader community. 150 Main Street is a collective of practitioners, facilitators, designers, and creators who have been working together in shared and separate offices in downtown Montpelier, who are now unifying and expanding to create a vibrant and integrative community space focused on health and wellness. 150 Main Street shares our values, and we are confident this group will be an excellent partner and steward of our campus and community.
We have been working on a plan to house VCFA’s library in College Hall, and the timing of this sale will allow us to put that new plan in place soon after the summer residency in Colorado. At this point, we have no other signed agreements, but, based on conversations with other potential buyers, it is likely other campus buildings will be used for academic purposes. We will keep you updated with related developments as we have concrete news to share.
While we recognize that this news may be bittersweet, we hope you share our excitement about VCFA’s next chapter, and the news of this agreement.
We will be informing students later today. Please let me know if you have questions.
Sincerely,
Matt
150 Main Street is a collective of practitioners, facilitators, designers and creators who have been working together in shared and separate offices in downtown Montpelier, who are now unifying and expanding to create a vibrant and integrative community space. We will be bringing together physical and mental health practitioners including, hydrotherapy, psychotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathy, nutrition and healthy food provision. Along with shared space for these services, we envision a venue that will include exhibition space for visual and performing arts; community and event gathering space for educational, art and health workshops; conference and meeting space for local businesses and nonprofits; and flexible gathering space for community members. We’re excited to have a place where so many people can connect to resources to support their full health and wellness.
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Matthew Monk
Academic Dean Vermont College of Fine Arts