Tour - Five Walks Through Montpelier VT: Tour #2 - The Shopping District

Five Walks Through Montpelier VT: Tour #2 - The Shopping District

Montpelier, Vermont 05602, United States

Created By: Kiltumper Close Press

Tour Information

Note for Mobile Users: When you click "Start Tour" it may take a few seconds for the points of interest to appear on the map as your phone's GPS determines your location.

Tour #2 begins outside the main entrance of the Capitol Plaza Hotel at 100 State Street and ends at the intersection of State and Main. We’ll be walking through the main shopping district, so while you are soaking up a little history you can check out some of the city's charming boutiques and eateries.

Navigation: you can open the description of each point of interest by clicking the numbers on the map, or you may find it easier to scroll farther down this screen and select the points from the list. If choosing that method, just hit the < icon at the top of the screen to return to the list.

Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

The Capital Plaza's Ancestors - 100 State Street

“Montpelier House” Montpelier has some lovely inns and B&Bs, but the Capitol Plaza in its present and earlier design has been the only traditional, full-service hotel in the city for decades. The block it sits on has been the home o... Read more

The City's First Buildings - 99 State Street

From this spot at 99 State Street, we have a view of some of the oldest buildings that formed the core of early Montpelier. This is where things began taking shape in the 1780s, when town founder Jacob Davis got busy with the lumberjacking.... Read more

Capitol Theater's Art Deco Grandeur - 93 State Street

Here at 93 State Street is the Capitol Theater. Its fabulous Art Deco marquee is one of the most photographed buildings in town after the State House. It still has its original green-glazed brickwork and the marquee at night is illuminated ... Read more

Federal Building - It Seemed a Good Idea at the Time - 87 State Street

This building stands on the site of an 1891 Romanesque Chateau-style post office constructed from granite and marble that was demolished in 1963. Many local history buffs consider it to be one of the greatest architectural crimes in the cit... Read more

County Courthouse: A Murder and a Ghost Story - 65 State Street

The best vantage point for viewing the Montpelier County Courthouse is the pocket park of the Christ Episcopal Church across the street from it, which gets very active in the summertime. We’ll talk more about the church in a bit, but firs... Read more

Christ Episcopal Church: A Green Space for Everyone - 64 State Street

The courtyard/pocket park next to Christ Episcopal Church underwent a major renovation in recent years and has become a favorite gathering spot in the city. During August and September, there are noontime concerts here every Thursday, and d... Read more

The Bank Building and the Invisible Bridge - 41 State Street

At the intersection of Elm and State Streets on the corner opposite the Court House’s opposite is a late 19th century building. It replaced an earlier wooden structure built in 1861 that served as the city's post office. Where did it go? ... Read more

Lets Talk About Blocks - 24-26 State Street

We’re now moving into the main commercial area of the city and we need to start thinking in terms of blocks. It is the large brick blocks of buildings that were built in the late 19th and early 20th century that give Montpelier its overal... Read more

State and Main: Crossroads of the Capital

We’ve arrived now at the center of town. For this section of the tour, you can stand where the granite-columned TD Bank building wraps itself around the corner, or grab a seat on one of the benches on its State Street side. We Love a Para... Read more

A Bourbon in the Rubble - State and Main Southeast Corner

The complex on the opposite side of East State Street is called City Center and it’s easy to tell it’s the newest of all the downtown buildings. The previous, late-19th century building on that corner had businesses ranging from dry goo... Read more

The Sledding Hill - State and Main Southeast Corner

At this intersection, State Street takes a little jog to the left and continues as East State Street all the way uphill to the College Hall area I talked about earlier. The East State Street hill was popular for sledding in the winter. On t... Read more

Blanchard Block: The Secret in the Middle

Along the south side of Main Street is one more historical block to talk about - the Blanchard Block. As the name on its top pediment suggests, it was the ambitious project of a man named Asa Blanchard. He owned a tannery in Vergennes befor... Read more

It Was Right There All Along - State and Main Northwest Corner

On the Northwest corner of the intersection is a red-painted Federal-style building which happens to be the oldest merchant building still standing in Montpelier. It escaped the great fire of 1875 largely because it was one of the only thin... Read more