This story by Matthew Thomas was first published in The Bridge on Sept. 9, 2025.
After past programmatic moves that it acknowledged can disrupt student learning, The New School of Montpelier is setting down solid roots on the college green in Montpelier.
With last year’s purchase of Bishop-Hatch Hall at 41 College Street and Alumnx Hall at 45 College Street from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, The New School can create “stable places” for students, according to Elias Gardener, the school’s executive director.
Gardener noted that The New School’s students “often are diagnosed with autism or have experienced trauma and are extremely dependent on predictable consistency.”
The New School of Montpelier, a worker co-operative, is a Vermont Therapeutic School approved by the State Board of Education, Gardener said, with its tuition set by the Vermont Agency of Education. The school was founded in 2005 for 16 children with “complex challenges in central Vermont foster care homes,” whose educational needs the local public schools could not meet. “All of our students receive special education services identified on Individual Education Programs and placed by public schools.”
The school has occupied the lower floors of Bishop-Hatch Hall since 2009 and Almunx Hall since 2013, Gardener said. He added that currently there are three programs running on the college green. The purchase and renovation of these buildings will allow the school to expand enrollment, which is very much needed, he added, because the school has more referrals than it can accommodate at the moment.
“Both are historic buildings,” Gardener said, noting that Bishop-Hatch was built in 1958 and Alumnx Hall in 1932 and that each had “significant deferred maintenance needs.”
The New School started its restoration with Bishop-Hatch Hall. The extensive project, reviewed by the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation includes stabilization maintenance, such as replacing the roof and the original steam heat system. In addition, there will be safety updates, such as removing asbestos and installing new ventilation and sprinkler systems.
To increase student space, Gardener said the two lower floors are being renovated to make classrooms, which, upon completion, will allow The New School to add an additional program with the capacity to take up to ten more students. “We consistently have a multi-year waiting list with staffing and space being the two primary barriers to meeting the needs of the public schools,” he said.
Gardener anticipates renovations to Bishop-Hatch Hall to be completed in March, 2026.
The New School is planning a future fundraising campaign to restore Almunx Hall, which needs a new roof after having shingles sheared off in high winds and leaks in the cupola, he said, adding that the school hopes to make this repair in 2026. In addition, Gardener said the steam heating system needs to be replaced. The school also does not have the funding to restore the upper two floors of Bishop-Hatch Hall. “We are considering various options including conversion to housing, but for now they must be mothballed until they can be brought up to code,” said Gardener.
“The New School is proud to be a steward of these historic buildings, particularly Alumnx Hall,” Gardner said. He added that it is important to the school to keep the hall open for community events and that the school uses the auditorium as a gymnasium and also a “vocational learning opportunity” for students involved in event set up and support, such as weddings.
“There are so many exciting things the new owners of various buildings on the college green and Montpelier are doing,” Gardener said. “I love being a part of it.”
