Hotel Windham at a Crossroads

If you've been following our series of posts on the historical bridges and buildings of Bellows Falls over the past three years, you're familiar with our keen interest in preserving and celebrating our history as Rockingham prepares to relocate and rebuild the Depot Street Bridge and create a new pedestrian bridge connecting Canal Street to the Island.

We'll have a full update on the Depot Street Bridge project in an upcoming post.

An Historic Cornerstone

In the meantime, the future of the Hotel Windham, one of the most historically significant buildings not just in our town but in all of southern Vermont, seems to be at a crossroads.

In our next blog post we'll delve into the hotel's past. Now, however, we want to let you know about two public meetings taking place in the next two weeks that will present the results of a draft market feasibility study. We need your feedback to help decide on a development plan as we look at the future of the Hotel Windham and its prominent location on The Square.

Constructed in 1933 following a fire in 1932, this building is the descendent of four previous hotels occupying this location since 1817. The photograph below shows the hotel in the mid-1930s. Today, the top two stories remain vacant, and that is what the Town and the property's owners, Windham Development Group, would like to see change!

Two Opportunities to Weigh in on the Future of the Hotel Windham

On Tuesday, March 31, the results of the market study evaluating potential future uses of the hotel will be presented at the regular Tri-Board meeting, which takes place in the Town Hall. The meeting starts at 6 PM. You can also watch the presentation online at https://www.rockinghamvt.org/agendas-minutes/#joint

The second and more informal presentation will be on Wednesday, April 8, in the lobby of the Hotel Windham from 5-7 PM.

A slideshow of historic photographs and the model suite from the June 2024 Downtown and Historic Preservation conference in Bellows Falls will be on display and there will be light refreshments and a cash bar through Ciao Popolo. Betsy Thurston will be among the presenters, and there will be plenty of opportunity through activities and conversation to share your feedback!

What Will We Learn from the Market Study?

Funded by a Municipal Planning Grant awarded by the Vermont Dept. of Housing & Community Development, with Match funding paid for by the Windham Development Group, the study evaluates the market feasibility of the redevelopment of the Hotel Windham.

The study identifies reuse scenarios, assessing the potential for lodging, residential, and mixed-use while providing data to inform decision-making, support partner recruitment, and position the project for implementation.

The Town of Rockingham hired Camoin Associates, an economic development consulting firm with headquarters in Saratoga Springs NY, to conduct the market study. You can read the Executive Summary and, if you're so inclined, the full 80-page Draft report here.

And stay tuned for an in-depth look at this "historic cornerstone" in future blogs.

Questions?

You can email us at any time with questions about the Depot Street Bridge replacement project at developmentassist@rockbf.org.  You can also send us information on the history of the area, which we'll be happy to share with the community through this blog.