Scaffolding for the construction of the Waterman Building is partially visible on the right-hand side of the photograph. Built at a cost of $1,250,000 in 1940-1941, Waterman houses a vast array of functions including class rooms, offices, and academic departments.[1] Burlington’s oldest sewer, built in 1872, needed to be replaced due to the construction of the Waterman Building; the sewer construction process proceeded along College Street from South Williams Street to South Prospect Street and is visible in the background of the photograph. [2] The old sewer was in dire need of repair. According to the 1941 Annual Report of Burlington: “…the old College Street sewer which was laid in 1872 and which had become inadequate in size and practically worn through at the invert so that the sewage was flowing on the planks on which the pipe was laid or on the clay or hard-pan where there were no planks.”[3]

438 College Street, which was constructed in 1908, is visible on the right-hand side of the photograph. In 2006, The University of Vermont renovated the home and added a 3019 square ft. northern extension to comply with the American Disabilities Act; it is now home to the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s offices.

On the left-hand side of the photograph is 439 College Street. The large stone structure, which was built circa 1920, serves as the home of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Prior to its construction, a smaller, more modest home of Phi Delta Theta stood in its footsteps. The smaller structure passed through a number of hands in its history: in 1894, it was home to an L.F. Englesby [4]; in 1902, it was the home of Owen R. Mason, owner of Mason & Co. [5], and his family; the building sat vacant in 1903 until Phi Delta Theta became proprietor of the property in 1904. [6]

[1] David J. Blow, Historical Guide to Burlington Neighborhoods, ed. Lilian Baker Carlisle (Burlington, VT: Queen City Printers Inc., 1991), 169.

[2] City of Burlington, Vermont, Seventy-sixth Annual Report of the City of Burlington, Vermont: For the Year Ended June 30, 1941  (Burlington, VT: Free Press Printing Co., 1941), 170.

[3] Ibid, 1971.

[4] Burlington City Directory (Burlington, VT: Free Press Printers, 1894), 123.

[5] Burlington City Directory (Burlington, VT: Free Press Printers, 1902), 263.

[6] Burlington City Directory (Burlington, VT: Free Press Printers, 1904), 291.

All buildings visible in the 1941 photograph remain. Unfortunately, gone are the stately American elms that filled the College Street landscape. On the left-hand side of photograph, a visitor’s parking lot has been added. 439 College Street remains the home of Phi Delta Theta. 438 College Street remains part of the University of Vermont and serves as the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s offices.