Old Round Church // 1812

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The Old Round Church in Richmond, Vermont, was built in 1812 on the village common to serve the town’s many congregations as a union church. The building is a master-work of housewright William Rhodes, who documented its construction in his journal and is a vernacular, yet grand Federal period church. While known as the Round Church, the building is actually a sixteen-sided hexdecagon with shallow angle cuts to create the rounded form, so the term round church sounds a little better than the Old Hexdecagon Church! Fifty feet in diameter, the two-story church rises to a hipped roof which is surmounted by a two-stage octagonal belfry with a bellcast cap and weathervane. Within a few decades of the church’s opening, the founding denominations began to move out, building their own houses of worship, and in 1880, the Old Round Church reverted to the Town of Richmond and continued in use as the town’s meeting hall until 1973, at which time safety concerns forced its closure to the public. The Richmond Historical Society was formed in 1973, shortly before the church had to be closed and in 1976, the town deeded the church to the society, who then gathered funds to restore the building. The Old Round Church remains one of the most unique architectural designs in Vermont and is always a treat to drive by in all seasons. The beloved building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000, one of just 18 in Vermont.

Former Richmond School // 1907

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This handsome brick building is located in the historic downtown of Richmond, Vermont, and was built at a time of rapid growth of the small community. Pupils in the town of Richmond originally went to school in small, one-room rural schoolhouses, with the Richmond Academy serving the main village. The old academy building was constructed in 1868 and taught classes from elementary through high school. The building was outgrown as the town grew in the first decade of the 20th century, necessitating a new, larger schoolhouse for the main village. This new school was constructed in 1907, apparently just as the right side and tower, which was expanded with the left half four years later in 1911. Blending Craftsman and Romanesque styles, plans for the school were drawn up by Vermont architect, Frank Lyman Austin. Another rear addition in the 1950s was constructed to meet increased demand until the 1980s when a new elementary school was built in town. Since 1989, the former Richmond School has been home to Richmond town offices. The building, while altered, is an important landmark of the town, showcasing a blending of architectural styles popular in the early 20th century.

Charles F. Roper House // c.1890

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Charles Frederick Roper (1847-1916) was a machinist and inventor who moved to Hopedale, Massachusetts, where he found employment from the Draper Corporation. His inventions were important for the company, and included loom machinery, air supply for motors to prevent overheating, and grinding machines. Before his death, Charles Roper had over 100 patents and from his success, he afforded one of the finest Victorian homes in Hopedale. In around 1890, Charles Roper had this Shingle style residence built on Freedom Street from plans by Robert Allen Cook, a Milford-based architect who was a favorite of the Drapers. The residence sits on a rubblestone first floor with cedar shingles above.

The Larches // 1910

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George Otis Draper (1867-1923) was born in Hopedale and attended MIT to prepare to help run the extremely successful family business, the Draper Corporation in town, which was experiencing a period of rapid growth and expansion of factories. With his position at the company, his wealth afforded him the ability to build a massive country estate known as The Larches. The shingled Colonial Revival style home featured a massive crenelated tower and appeared like a castle in the countryside. George O. Draper sold this home to his aunt Hannah Thwing Draper Osgood in 1909, and within a month, the home burned to the ground. She began construction on the “new Larches“, a shingled mansion with a stunning blending of Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles. The home was likely designed by Robert Allen Cook, who was based out of nearby Milford, MA. The property today is run by Crossroads Clubhouse, an employment and recovery center that offers people with mental health conditions opportunities to achieve their full potential.

Hopedale Unitarian Church // 1898

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The Hopedale Unitarian Church, also known as the Draper Memorial Church, is located in the former industrial village of Hopedale, Massachusetts, and is one of the finest examples of the Neo-Gothic style in the state. The church was funded by brothers George Albert and Eben S. Draper of the Draper Corporation, the largest employer in town, offering to build the new edifice as a memorial to their parents, George and Hannah Draper. The church replaced an earlier, wood-frame church, built on the site in 1860 by supporters of Adin Ballou, a founder of the Hopedale Community, a utopian community that eventually failed. The Drapers hired Boston architect, Edwin J. Lewis, an active Unitarian who had designed several churches around New England by this time. His plan was “English Gothic of the Perpendicular period” made of Milford granite with Indiana limestone trimmings and a roof of green slate. At the interior, roof trusses were left exposed “as in the old English Parish churches” with oak finishes and flooring and memorial stained glass windows by prominent artists. The church remains a visual and historical landmark for the community with an active congregation who preserve the significant building.

Eben S. Draper Stable // c.1900

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Located next to his Tudor Revival style mansion, Eben Sumner Draper’s stable on Adin Street in Hopedale, Massachusetts, is one of the finest examples of the type in New England. It is possibly that the stable was built before the mansion was built in 1926 for Eben Sumner Draper Jr. (1893-1959), the son of Massachusetts Governor and Draper Corporation executive, Eben Sumner Draper. Little is known about this building, which stands at the end of a drive and is accessed over an arched bridgeway. The building has its first floor in stone with half timbering above. Two rounded towers with conical roofs frame the center entry, which may have been used for horses and carriage, or for personal automobiles, of which, Mr. Draper would surely have one of the first in the state. The building has been owned by the Ledges LLC, who operated a community for developmentally disabled adults.

Eben S. Draper Mansion // 1926

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Built in 1926 for Eben Sumner Draper Jr. (1893-1959), the son of Massachusetts Governor and Draper Corporation executive, Eben Sumner Draper, this massive Tudor Revival style mansion in Hopedale, provided a secluded country estate for the wealthy industrialist. The home was designed in 1926 by Boston architects Bigelow & Wadsworth, and replaced Eben’s father’s Shingle style country mansion “The Ledges“. The new Draper mansion was highlighted in numerous architectural magazines shortly after it’s construction, which highlighted the amazing brickwork, layout, and interior finishes, all of which remain to today! This spectacular home is over 14,000 square feet and has 17 bedrooms, several located in the staff wing, 10 full-baths and four half-baths, an in-ground swimming pool, gazebo, tennis court, and landscape design attributed to the notable landscape architect Warren Manning. In the 1960s, the home sold out of the family and was used as a home for adults living with developmental disabilities, mental illnesses, physical disabilities, the facility has since sold the Draper mansion and occupies the former carriage house on the grounds.

Hopedale Village Cemetery Tool House // 1894

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At the heart of the Hopedale Village Cemetery, this diminutive historic tool shed and office showcases that even for functional buildings set within a cemetery, high-quality materials and good design can enhance the landscape. The cemetery was laid out in 1845 in connection with Hopedale’s Utopian settlement, but expanded later in the 19th century as a formal landscaped cemetery in about 1887. The growth and investment of the cemetery coincides with the growth of the community as it prospered with the success of the Draper Corporation factories in town. Landscape architect, Warren Henry Manning updated the landscape here, with scenic vistas and hills, which followed the popular Rural cemetery movement of the 19th century. The cemetery contains many graves and mausoleums of the wealthy factory managers and benefactors of the community, which dot the sprawling landscape. In 1894, architect, Robert Allen Cook, designed this stone tool shed, which may have also contained a small office with cemetery records. The one-story, hip-roofed building features rough rubblestone walls with an eyebrow dormer centered on the façade, and has been preserved by the community for well over 100 years.

Bancroft Memorial Library // 1898

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The Bancroft Memorial Library on Hopedale Street in Hopedale, Massachusetts, was built in 1898 and is one of the finest examples of a Romanesque Revival style library in New England. The library’s benefactor, Joseph Burbier Bancroft (1821-1909), moved to Hopedale and joined the Hopedale Community in 1846, where he became connected with the Hopedale Machine Company founded by the Draper Family. Shortly afterward Mr. Bancroft entered into a partnership with Ebenezer and George Draper, and was put in charge of the cotton machinery department of the Draper Corporation. Joseph married Sylvia W. Thwing, sister of the wives of Ebenezer and George Draper. As he rose through the ranks of the Draper Company, he decided to fund a library as a gift to the company town. Designed by architect, C. Howard Walker of the Boston architectural firm Walker & Kimball, the library is constructed of granite and features arched entry at the facade with carved stone panel above. Before the building was completed, Sylvia died, and the library became a memorial in her memory by Joseph Bancroft.

Frank J. Dutcher House // 1904

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Located on Adin Street in Hopedale, this excellent turn-of-the-century mansion was built for Frank Jerome Dutcher, a manufacturer who worked for his father’s company before selling it to the Draper Corporation, later becoming a wealthy salesman. Blending Shingle, Queen Anne, and Arts and Crafts styles, the Frank J. Dutcher home sits atop a rock ledge and was designed by architect, Robert Allen Cook, who designed other buildings in town for the Draper Corporation and community, behind his original home that burned in 1903. The home features two massive fieldstone chimneys, shingled siding, and a series of dormers and bays that provide a rich dialogue along the long street-facing facade. In the mid-20th century, the property became a nursing home, known as Oakledge Manor. The building was recently bank-owned and it is unclear if the building was converted back to a single-family home, or remains a housing facility.