Window work

By Andrew Liptak, Guest Services & PR Coordinator 

Historic buildings require a lot of work, and the heavy rain and flooding that took place in 2023 and 2024 was hard on the Vermont History Center. The Vermont Historical Society began a series of projects in the fall of 2025 designed to address some longstanding and pressing issues, starting with the building’s windows, which had begun to require attention.

Windows are complicated features, and those installed in historic structures require special attention in order to maintain their historic character.

Prior to the 20th century, windows such as ours were often made up of multiple panes of glass held in with wooden frames; if one pane broke, someone could easily replace it with another. But that also means there are multiple seals required to keep the windows intact. Given enough time and exposure to the elements, those seals begin to deteriorate, allowing water to come in and warm air to escape.

The process to fix those windows is called reglazing, and in September, workers from Hunger Valley Construction of Waterbury arrived in Barre to begin their work. They set about working on the windows on the Washington Street side of the building, scraping off the old paint, removing the sealant that had cracked, replacing cracked panes and wood when needed, and reapplying new sealant and paint to create a watertight seal, all with guidance and approval from the Preservation Trust of Vermont. This work was partially funded by a grant from the 1772 Foundation in cooperation with the Preservation Trust of Vermont.  

In all, Hunger Valley Construction fixed 27 of the building’s windows that needed the most immediate attention. The effects were immediately apparent; they were no longer letting in water and are now much better at keeping the heat inside.

There’s plenty more work to be done. The Spaulding Building boasts more than 200 windows, all of which require varying amounts of attention, and future projects will address that additional work. This work is part of a much larger, multi-phase maintenance and preservation effort for the Vermont History Center. In November, work to the foundation, roof, and exterior masonry began and will run through the spring of 2026.

Together, these accomplishments mark meaningful progress toward stabilizing the Vermont History Center, ensuring that it will remain a secure and sustainable home for our historical collections for generations to come.