The Edward Lyman house
(Bader Hall), located at 232 South Willard street, is a two and one-half-story,
Italianate brick veneer mansion, one of the early large estates on this street.
The architect/builder, A.B. Fisher, was responsible for many of these mansions.
The Edward Lyman house sits on a knoll and has a strong vertical emphasis. The
hip roof is broken by gables in the west and north facades. The belvedere,
which crowns the building, has a hip roof with triangular pediments, echoing
the gable below. Tall narrow segmental arched windows with heavy curved wooden
lintels contribute to the vertical line.1
The façade also features pairs of brackets with pendants, which are found along
the cornice of the entire roof, on the belvedere, the bay windows and the
porches. The 1/1 window detailing includes consoles below the lintels and
footed sills.
Edward Lyman
operated a dry goods store on the corner of Church and College streets. He was
also prominent in many civic affairs, and held offices in banks and other corporations.
Lyman died in 1890, and his daughter Minnie and her husband Robert Banks moved
in with her mother and resided in the house until 1940. Roberts was a partner
in the law firm of Roberts and Roberts and also served as mayor of Burlington
from 1899-1901 and from 1912-13.2 He also served in the Vermont legislature.
When he died he left the property to the University of Vermont, which used the
house as a dormitory, Roberts Hall. Bader Brouilette, Champlain College,
purchased the building in 1961 and named the building after his mother, Edith
Bader. It is currently being used as a co-educational residence hall for
Champlain College.3
1- Burlington
Historic Sites and Structures Survey, Vermont Division for Historic
Preservation, 1977.
2- Burlington Tax Assessors Records
3- Champlain College Web Site