The Pavilion

The Pavilion is a state-government building at 109 State Street in Montpelier, Vermont. It is the principal workplace of Vermont's governor and contains the governor's working offices, a reception room, a press briefing room, and residential apartments intended for gubernatorial use. The building also accommodates the offices of the Vermont attorney general and state treasurer, the Agency of Administration, and the Vermont Historical Society and its museum. Because the governor's working offices have historically been located on the fifth floor, "The Fifth Floor" is commonly used as a metonym for the governor's administration or, more broadly, Vermont's executive branch. The present Pavilion is a 1971 reconstruction of an earlier hotel of the same name. The first hotel on the site was erected in 1807–1808 by Thomas Davis, using a design associated with Sylvanus Baldwin, a Montpelier representative and self-taught architect-builder who also designed the first Vermont State House. Davis later sold the property to Mahlon Cottrill, who enlarged the building and established the Pavilion name. In 1874, Theron O. Bailey acquired the hotel, demolished the earlier structure, and built a much larger hotel that opened in time for the 1876 United States centennial. The new building had approximately ninety guest rooms, steam-powered elevators, ballrooms, dining rooms, lounges, gas lighting, and an imposing two-story piazza. Its architecture was associated with the French Second Empire style and included a mansard roof. For roughly three-quarters of a century, the hotel was one of Montpelier's leading public and social institutions. It was informally called Vermont's "third house," following the state Senate and House of Representatives, because legislators frequently stayed there and the hotel was closely connected with the state's political life. The growth of automobile commuting reduced the need for legislators to live in Montpelier, contributing to the hotel's decline. The hotel closed in October 1966. Vermont acquired the property in 1969. Although restoration and adaptive reuse were considered, the state chose to demolish the hotel and construct a new state-office building. The 1971 structure reproduced the earlier building's south and west façades, with a two-story piazza and an entry foyer and reception room designed to evoke the original French Second Empire interiors. The reconstruction was not an exact replica: features including the original chimneys and cast-iron roof cresting were omitted. When the reconstructed building opened, Governor Dean Davis placed the governor's office in the southeast corner of the fifth floor. In the 1980s, a modern steel-and-glass wing was added to the northwest side of the complex, and the governor's working office moved there. The wing provides a view toward the Vermont State House dome. A separate ceremonial gubernatorial office in the State House remains available and is used particularly during legislative sessions. During the administration of Governor Madeleine M. Kunin, an apartment for the governor was created in the Pavilion's northwest portion. The apartment is used infrequently by later governors but can support overnight work during emergencies or especially demanding legislative periods. The Pavilion therefore functions simultaneously as an executive-office complex, a public-administration facility, and a landmark connected to Vermont's political and architectural history. Its name preserves the identity of the former hotel even though the current building is a later state-office reconstruction.

The site now occupied by The Pavilion has served governmental, commercial, and political functions for more than two centuries. A three-story hotel was built there in 1807–1808 by Thomas Davis. Its design was associated with Sylvanus Baldwin, a Montpelier legislator who also worked as an architect-builder and designed the first Vermont State House. Davis later sold the hotel to Mahlon Cottrill, who substantially enlarged it, added piazzas on the south and west sides, and gave the establishment the name The Pavilion. In 1874, Theron O. Bailey purchased the property and replaced the earlier hotel with a substantially larger building. The new Pavilion opened in 1876, during the centennial year of American independence. It offered about ninety guest rooms and incorporated steam elevators, ballrooms, dining rooms, lounges, gas lighting, and a large two-story piazza facing State Street and the grounds near the State House. The building's design reflected the French Second Empire taste popular in the period, especially through its mansard roof and elaborate public spaces. The hotel became a central institution in Montpelier's civic and political life. Legislators and other participants in state government stayed there, and the building was popularly described as Vermont's "third house," after the two chambers of the General Assembly. Its role was not an official legislative one, but its proximity to the State House and its hospitality functions made it an important setting for political discussion and social activity. The Pavilion's hotel business weakened as more legislators and other visitors commuted by automobile from outside Montpelier. After approximately seventy-five years as a major hotel, it ceased operating in October 1966. Vermont acquired the property in 1969. The state considered restoration and reuse, but the need for additional office space in the capital complex, combined with limited historic-preservation sensitivity at the time, resulted in demolition of the historic building. A new Pavilion was completed in 1971. Its south and west façades were academic reproductions of the 1876 hotel's exterior, and a broad two-story piazza was retained. The entrance foyer and nearby reception room were designed with decorative elements recalling the earlier building, including polychrome stencilling, period-style artwork, and historic furnishings. The reconstruction omitted some original exterior details, notably the chimneys and cast-iron cresting associated with the mansard roof. The new building became a major executive-office location. Governor Dean Davis placed the governor's working office in the southeast corner of the fifth floor when the building opened. This location gave rise to the expression "The Fifth Floor," which came to signify the governor's office or administration. A ceremonial gubernatorial office remains in the Vermont State House and is used frequently during legislative sessions. During the 1980s, the complex received a modern steel-and-glass wing on its northwest side. The governor's working office moved into that addition, which looks toward the State House dome. The Pavilion also contains offices for the attorney general and state treasurer, the Agency of Administration, and the Vermont Historical Society and its museum. During Madeleine M. Kunin's administration, a residential apartment for the governor was established in the building's northwest section. It is not routinely occupied by recent governors, but it provides a practical option during emergencies or periods when official duties require extended work in Montpelier. Today, The Pavilion is best understood as an active state administrative complex whose identity combines the functions of a government workplace with the legacy of a politically significant nineteenth-century hotel. Its continued use by Vermont's executive branch preserves the site's connection to state government, while the reconstructed façades and historical interiors recall the earlier hotel that shaped the location's reputation.

• 1980

  Modern office wing added

  [1]The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org

  A steel-and-glass wing was added to the northwest side of the complex during the 1980s, and the governor's working office was moved there.

• 1971

  Reconstructed state-office building opened

  [1]The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org

  The current Pavilion opened as a state administrative building, incorporating recreated exterior and interior elements of the former hotel.

• 1969

  Property acquired by Vermont

  [1]The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org

  The State of Vermont acquired the former hotel property for expansion of state offices.

• 1966

  Hotel operations ended

  [1]The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org

  The historic hotel closed in October after a long decline associated partly with the rise of automobile commuting.

• 1876

  New hotel opened

  [1]The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org

  The approximately ninety-room Pavilion opened for the United States centennial and became Montpelier's leading hotel.

• 1874

  Construction of the grand Pavilion hotel

  [1]The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org

  Theron O. Bailey acquired the property, demolished the earlier hotel, and began construction of a much larger building.

• 1807

  First hotel established on the site

  [1]The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Davis began constructing the first hotel on the site, with the building completed in 1808.

• Gubernatorial apartment established

  [1]The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org

  During the administration of Madeleine M. Kunin, a residential apartment for the governor was created in the northwest portion of the building.

A historic-referential state office complex and principal gubernatorial workplace in Vermont's capital.

• Executive government offices · 1971

  Governor's offices

  The Pavilion is the principal workplace of Vermont's governor. The working office was originally located on the fifth floor of the reconstructed building and later moved to a modern steel-and-glass wing. The fifth-floor location remains the source of the political shorthand "The Fifth Floor," referring to the governor's administration.

• Government public-facing facilities · 1971

  Reception and press facilities

  The building contains a reception room and a press briefing room used for official governmental business. Its entrance foyer and reception areas incorporate recreated French Second Empire-inspired decoration, period-style artwork, and furnishings associated with the historic hotel.

• Public administration · 1971

  State administrative offices

  In addition to the governor's office, The Pavilion houses the offices of Vermont's attorney general and state treasurer and the Agency of Administration. These occupants make the building part of the wider executive and statewide administrative complex in Montpelier.

• Museum and historical services · 1971

  Vermont Historical Society museum

  The Vermont Historical Society and its museum occupy space in The Pavilion. This use adds a historical and public-education function to a building otherwise centered on state administration.

• Official residential accommodation

  Governor's apartment

  An apartment in the northwest portion of the building was created during Madeleine M. Kunin's administration. It is used infrequently by recent governors but can provide accommodation during emergencies or extended legislative work.

• 1980

  Relocation of the governor's working officeStrategy

  Background

  The governor's original working office occupied part of the fifth floor of the 1971 building.

  Action taken

  During the 1980s, Vermont added a contemporary steel-and-glass wing and moved the governor's working office into it.

  Aftermath

  The new office gained a prominent view toward the State House dome, while the fifth-floor location continued to influence the political expression "The Fifth Floor."

  Source

• 1969

  Conversion of the site to state officesStrategy

  Background

  After the hotel closed in 1966, Vermont needed additional office space in the Montpelier capital-complex area. Restoration and reuse of the historic hotel were considered but not pursued.

  Action taken

  The State of Vermont acquired the property and proceeded with demolition and construction of a new Pavilion rather than restoring the nineteenth-century building.

  Aftermath

  The replacement building opened in 1971 with reproduced façades and selected interior references to the former hotel, while serving as a working government complex.

  Source

1. 1The Pavilion (Vermont)en.wikipedia.org