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Northeast Kingdom project pairs arts studio with nine middle-market housing units in St. Johnsbury
Summary
Presenters described a Northern Forest Center-led project in St. Johnsbury that repurposed an historic armory into a mixed-use building with public art, an artist studio/residency and nine rental units; speakers said the funding stack totaled $5.9 million with state and philanthropic support and the units were expected to be rented by April.
Jody Green (presenter) and partners described a repurposing project in St. Johnsbury that converted an early-20th-century armory and dance-hall into a mixed-use building with an artist studio, public-art features and nine residential units intended as middle-market housing for local workers.
Presenters said the Northern Forest Center led the financing and the project used a blended “funding stack” that combined philanthropic capital, state support, regional investment and private dollars. They reported the project’s total investment at about $5,900,000 and said the state contributed $500,000 toward the development. Presenters said the buyers acquired the building for approximately $150,000 prior to redevelopment.
The completed building includes nine two- and three-bedroom units, with asking rents reported in committee testimony from about $1,900 for a two-bedroom to $2,600 for a three-bedroom. Project documents and presenters said construction used locally sourced lumber and contractors within roughly a 60-mile radius; presenters estimated a construction-driven economic impact multiple that could bring the project’s total local economic return into the $10–12 million range when supply-chain and labor turnover effects are counted.
Project design intentionally ties the arts to tenancy: an on-site studio will host an artist residency program (three-month residencies were described) with the artist expected to work with local schools and community organizations. The building’s exterior includes a public mural and a changing public-art pedestal that presenters said will keep the site active and connected to downtown St. Johnsbury.
Project leaders told the committee they expected the units to be leased by April and emphasized that case studies like this demonstrate how arts-led placemaking can anchor rural housing solutions and local economic development.
