United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7
______________________________________________________________________________________
Dewey Hall, 2 Colchester Avenue, 1904.
Dewey Hall is a large, four story, rectangular building, constructed of dark red brick in a Flemish bond in the Neo-Classical style, and stands on the corner of Colchester and South Prospect Streets. The front (south) façade is fifteen bays wide, with six bays on each side of the building's second story main entrance. All windows on the building are 9/2, rest on concrete sills and have splayed brick lintels unless otherwise noted. The raised basement has six full-height windows to the left of the entrance; however, to the right of the entrance at the basement level, the first two bays have 3/2 windows, bays three and four have 3/1 windows and bays five and six have narrow, triple-paned windows. Additionally, the fifth and sixth bays of the third story, to the right of the entrance, are filled by taller 9/2 windows and each is topped with a 3/3 transom. All other windows on the front façade are uniform and appear as described above. Two concrete beltcourses, one between the first and second stories and one between the fourth story and cornice, are present on each façade. A high knee wall separates the fourth story windows from the cornice and flat roof. The cornice, which appears on all facades, is plain but is accented with concrete dentils. Atop the roof sits a quasi-parapet that stretches the full length of the roof and is visible from all sides of the building.
All four walls are accented by four, evenly spaced, monumental brick pilasters. These pilasters stretch between the two beltcourses, rest upon concrete bases and are capped with plain concrete capitals. A projecting, centered portico surrounds the main entrance. This portico is supported by two monumental, fluted, Ionic columns that sit approximately six feet out from the entrance wall. These columns support a wide cornice and each rests on two large concrete blocks. Above this cornice three bays are recessed into the wall: a 1/1 window sits on either side of a carved concrete slab that identifies the building as the UVM College of Medicine. A twelve step granite staircase leads to the main, double leafed door, surrounded by pilasters, three- quarter sidelights consisting of muntins in a starburst design, and topped by two single, square panes. Two square panes of the same design top the door as well. The door surround is concrete with a heavy cornice and its horizontal segment is decorated with a row of circles. The cornice is topped by a gently sloping concrete slab upon which sit three triple paned, narrow vertical windows. All windows within the entrance portico are encased by slightly projecting bricks and wooden frames.
The east side of the building is eight windows wide-- all are irregular and unevenly spaced, except for the basement which has only six small windows. The center bay on the third story is filled with a steel door and transom, from which descends an iron fire escape.
The rear (north) face of the building is twenty bays wide, with all windows regularly spaced. Some of the bays are filled with bricks while others hold louvered vents. The basement differs in that it is sixteen bays wide, the fourth bay being occupied by a double leafed glass and steel door. A projecting copper overhang supported by two slender metal posts provides a roof for this entrance to the building.
The west façade is seven bays wide-- all windows are regularly spaced. A central entrance at the basement level consists of a double leafed steel door within an arch. A brick segmental arch is inlaid in the wall above the doors. Decorative concrete molding has been applied to the center of this segmental arch.
The cornerstone of Dewey Hall, named
for John Dewey, a famous Vermonter in the field of education, was laid
in 1904 during the University's Centennial Commencement. In May of the
following year the building was dedicated as the Medical College and opened
to students. As early as 1914 the Carnegie Institute recommended closing
the Medical College; however, this plan was halted following the intervention
of the university and the legislature. By 1919 Dewey Hall was also home
to the offices of the President of the university and the administration.
In 1921 the Medical College expanded its student body when it began accepting
women into its program. Reconstruction of the building began in 1969 and
Dewey Hall became the home of the Psychology department. Today Dewey Hall
continues to serve the University of Vermont in this capacity.