Equinox House Historic District

Historic district in Vermont, United States

United States historic place

Equinox House Historic District

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

U.S. Historic district
Contributing property

The Equinox House hotel

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Location| Main and Union Sts., Manchester, Vermont
Coordinates| 43°9′43″N 73°4′25″W﻿ / ﻿43.16194°N 73.07361°W﻿ / 43.16194; -73.07361
Area| 25.8 acres (10.4 ha)
Architectural style| Greek Revival, Italianate
Part of| Manchester Village Historic District (ID84003438)
NRHP reference No.| 72000107 (original)
80000384[1] (increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| November 21, 1972
Boundary increase| June 3, 1980
Designated CP| January 26, 1984

The Equinox House Historic District encompasses the historic center of the village of Manchester, Vermont. It includes a small group of civic and commercial buildings around the junction of Main Street (Vermont Route 7A) and Union Street, with the luxury Equinox House hotel as its primary focus. The district, developed as a tourist destination in the late 1800s, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and enlarged in 1980.[1] It is a small portion of the Manchester Village Historic District.

## Description and history

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Manchester is a town in northern Bennington County, Vermont, with its village center on the east side of Equinox Mountain. The heart of the village is at the junction of Vermont 7A, formerly the major north–south route through the area, and Union Street, which extends east toward the Battenkill River. The area has long been known for the spa waters that came down from the mountain, and has since the mid-19th century been a tourist destination. The Equinox Hotel, one of Vermont's few surviving 19th-century grand hotels, anchors the west side of the village, and has catered to many prominent visitors over its long history. Prominent guests included Mary Todd Lincoln and her son Robert, who later built the Hildene estate to the south, and Ulysses S. Grant.[2]

Across Main Street from the hotel, facing either Main Street or Union Street, are a number of civic and commercial buildings, all built before 1872. Notable among these are the First Congregation Church, built in 1871 and the town's tallest building, and the Bennington County Courthouse (1822). Of commercial note is the Orvis Building, where in 1856 Charles Orvis founded the eponymous company that dominates the fly-fishing market. A number of the buildings in the center are associated with the Orvises, who were an economically significant force in the town for many years.[2]

The Equinox Hotel was listed on the National Register in 1972. In 1980 the listing was enlarged to include the other buildings; all of these are also contributing elements to the Manchester Village Historic District.

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for Equinox Hotel Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved February 6, 2016.

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National Register of Historic Places in Bennington County, Vermont

Districts|

* Arlington Village Historic District
* Bennington College Historic District
* Bennington Fish Hatchery
* Carrigan Lane Historic District
* Center Shaftsbury Historic District
* Dorset Village Historic District
* Downtown Bennington Historic District
* East Arlington Village Historic District
* Equinox House Historic District
* Furnace Grove Historic District
* Holden–Leonard Workers Housing Historic District
* Kent Neighborhood Historic District
* Manchester Village Historic District
* North Bennington Historic District
* Old Bennington Historic District
* The Orchards
* Rupert Village Historic District

Buildings|

* Bennington High School
* Bennington Post Office
* Bennington Railroad Station
* W. H. Bradford Hook and Ladder Fire House
* William C. Bull House
* E. J. Bullock Block
* First Congregational Church of Bennington
* Robert Frost Farm
* Gov. Jonas Galusha Homestead
* Zera Hard House
* William Henry House
* Hildene
* Holden–Leonard Mill Complex
* Jenks Tavern
* Amos Lawrence House
* Manley-Lefevre House
* David Mathews House ‡
* Munro-Hawkins House
* North Bennington Depot
* Julius and Sophia Norton House
* Park-McCullough House
* Pratt-McDaniels-LaFlamme House
* Ritchie Block
* School Street Duplexes
* Frederick Squire House
* Tudor House
* Wait Block
* H.C. White Company Mill Complex
* Cora B. Whitney School
* Wilson House
* Yester House

Structures|

* Arlington Green Covered Bridge
* Bennington Battle Monument
* Bennington Falls Covered Bridge
* Henry Covered Bridge
* Silk Covered Bridge

Former listings|

* Johnny Seesaw's Historic District

Footnotes|

‡ This historic property also has portions in an adjacent state.

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont and List of National Historic Landmarks in Vermont
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