The Preservation Trust of Vermont Partners with ZION Growers for New Industry at Vermont Marble Company Site
After a decade of ownership, and successfully securing the collections of the Vermont Marble Museum, the Preservation Trust of Vermont has transferred ownership of the former Vermont Marble Company facility in Proctor to ZION Growers, a Vermont-based industrial hemp processing company.
“Our partnership with ZION Growers achieves the goals that the Trust identified when it stepped in to purchase the 52 Main Street building,” said Preservation Trust of Vermont President Ben Doyle. “As a result of our efforts, the building and collections of the Vermont Marble Museum will be preserved so that residents and visitors alike can understand the important history of the marble industry in Vermont. In addition, the Trust is proud to bring economic opportunity to Rutland County with a promising new business coming to Proctor.”
ZION Growers plans to use much of the 84,000 sq. ft. building for processing locally sourced industrial hemp into fiber for use in a variety of value-added products, including paper, textiles, and green building materials.
“The emerging industrial hemp market is an opportunity for Vermont,” said ZION CEO Brandon McFarlane. “The fact that this opportunity can be realized while honoring the industrial heritage of the site is why we are excited to work with the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Town of Proctor, and regional economic development partners.”
In 2012, when the building and museum collections were at risk of being sold piecemeal, with the support of generous donors the Preservation Trust of Vermont stepped in to purchase the building and collections and begin the process of securing the museum’s future. Under the terms of the transfer to ZION Growers, the Preservation Trust of Vermont will continue to own the collections, maintain a 99-year lease for the museum, and co-hold a historic preservation easement on the entire building with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. “The Vermont Marble Museum shares the important story of the marble industry in Proctor, Vermont, and the nation. We are excited to have secured our home at 52 Main and hope to reopen soon in partnership with the Preservation Trust of Vermont and ZION Growers,” said Vermont Marble Museum Board Chair, Bob Young.
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Upcoming Retreat: Energy Efficiency and Historic Preservation
October 11-12, 2022
Join the Preservation Trust of Vermont at the spectacular Grand Isle Lake House for a one-of-a-kind retreat that combines great food, gorgeous views, comfortable rooms with an opportunity to learn more about energy and historic buildings.
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Energy Efficiency and Historic Preservation
October 11-12, 2022
Are you struggling to understand how best to weatherize your historic building? Retrofitting historic properties to improve energy efficiency, reduce heating costs and keep historic features intact is possible! Historic buildings were designed to be efficient and take advantage of the resources available at the time of construction - sunlight, airflow, water.
This retreat will explore how best to approach energy retrofits to maximize the building's inherent efficiencies and will share best practices that generally will not impact the historic character of your building.
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Registration Deadline: September 26 at 5 pm. |
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2022 Preservation Retreats at the
Grand Isle Lake House
Preservation Retreats at the Grand Isle Lake House are an immersive adult learning experience designed to support anyone undertaking or considering a community development or historic preservation project. Attendees will be asked to present a challenge or issue that once solved will move their project forward. This brief presentation is followed by a robust and informative group discussion with peers, funders and technical support providers.
All retreats begin at 2:00 pm and end after lunch the following day. Space is limited. Retreats often fill up well before the registration deadline so please register at your earliest convenience.
Single rooms, including meals and retreat materials is $135; double room occupancy is $200.
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Covid Safety Protocols
- All attendees are required to show proof of vaccination prior to the retreat. You will receive an email two weeks before the event asking for proof of vaccination.
- The shared room option is only available for people who are attending from the same project/community and/or for couples.
- Due to limited space for overnight lodging, we ask that you send ONE representative for your project or a maximum of TWO people if you are willing to share a room.
- Single Room Occupancy is $135 and includes meals, lodging and retreat materials for one person.
- Double Room Occupancy is a total of $200 and includes meals, lodging and retreat materials for two people.
- In group discussion settings indoors, we require people to remain masked when not presenting.
- Weather permitting, we will share discussion and meals outdoors on the large wrap-around porch overlooking Lake Champlain!
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The Preservation Retreats are underwritten in part by generous support from the Kelly Lorraine Baggett Fund. Kelly was a UVM Graduate, a 31-year veteran of the United States Forest Service, and a former resident of Burlington, VT, where she spent many hours restoring and caring for her historic brick home overlooking Lake Champlain. Kelly won many awards for her outstanding contributions in research pertaining to sugar maple decline and American elm restoration, and wrote or co-wrote numerous scientific papers during her career. This fund pays homage to Kelly’s passion for history, the environment, and scholarship.
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We are grateful for our partnership and underwriting support from The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. |
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Big Impacts for Small Towns: Strategies for Capital Investments in Rural Projects
Tuesday September 20, 2022, 12-1 pm
Join us for a Zoom presentation to learn about “blue-ribbon” strategies for rural historic preservation community development projects.
Panelists from four small Northern Forest communities in New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Maine will discuss elements of successful projects including: how to plan projects; secure needed human and financial resources; collaborate with arts, child care, housing and other interests; and measure and sustain positive progress and community impacts over time.
Presented by the N.H. Preservation Alliance, Maine Preservation, Preservation Trust of Vermont and Preservation League of New York State.
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