Here in St. Johnsbury, history isn’t confined to textbooks. It can be found in the buildings we pass every day—and few local landmarks tell our community’s story better than the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Athenaeum being designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1996. The recognition honored its remarkable architecture, historic book collection and beautifully preserved art gallery.
The Athenaeum was presented to the people of St. Johnsbury by Horace Fairbanks in 1871. Fairbanks was a leader of the E. & T. Fairbanks Company, a former governor of Vermont and a firm believer in the importance of education. His vision was to create a place where local residents could read, study, appreciate art and expand their understanding of the world.
Designed in the French Second Empire style, the building features a mansard roof, tall arched windows, intricate woodwork and spiral staircases. An art gallery was added in 1873 to display Fairbanks’ growing collection of American and European artwork.
The centerpiece of the gallery is Albert Bierstadt’s enormous The Domes of the Yosemite. Measuring approximately 10 feet high and 15 feet wide, the painting dominates the far wall and gives visitors the feeling of looking directly into Yosemite Valley.
Even more remarkable is how little the gallery has changed. Paintings remain displayed in heavy gilded frames, marble statues stand on their original pedestals and natural light still enters through the overhead skylight. The Athenaeum describes it as the oldest American art gallery still preserved in its original form.
Today, the Athenaeum continues to serve as St. Johnsbury’s public library, art gallery and community gathering place. Its original collection of approximately 8,000 books has grown to nearly 45,000 volumes, while the gallery contains about 100 works of art.
The next time you travel down Main Street, consider stopping in and exploring this incredible piece of local history. People travel great distances to visit historic places like this, yet we are fortunate enough to have one right here in our own community.
The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is located at 1171 Main Street. Current hours, events and visitor information are available on the Athenaeum’s official website. Gallery admission is free for St. Johnsbury residents and library cardholders.
At St. Johnsbury Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, we are proud to be part of a community with such a rich history—because the Northeast Kingdom isn’t simply where we do business. It’s home.
St. Johnsbury Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram—Where Vermont Comes to Drive.
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