VHB and Partners Earn 2026 Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse Project

VHB and project partners recently earned a 2026 Preservation Award for transforming three historic barracks into 65 permanently affordable homes in Colchester, Vermont. Presented by the Preservation Trust of Vermont at the Downtown & Historic Preservation Conference, the award recognizes meaningful contributions to preserving Vermont's historic architecture.

Built in 1904 as part of Fort Ethan Allen, the buildings housed the 10^th Cavalry-the famed all-Black U.S. Army regiment known as the "Buffalo Soldiers"-from 1909 to 1913. After the fort closed in 1960, they became St. Michael's College dormitories and later sat vacant for nearly a decade before co-developers Evernorth and Champlain Housing Trust acquired them in 2022.

The 10^th Cavalry Apartments redevelopment advanced amid a severe housing shortage, with Chittenden County's vacancy rate near one percent-among the nation's lowest and far below the five percent considered healthy. As housing costs rose, the project helped create new options for vulnerable households.

VHB supported the redevelopment through site planning, landscape architecture, and cultural resources services, helping shape the placemaking aesthetic with architect Freeman French Freeman and coordinating closely with state and federal preservation agencies.

Key project details include:

• A $32-million adaptive reuse project that created 65 permanently affordable studio and one-bedroom apartments.
• A $2-million environmental cleanup addressing PCBs, PAHs, lead paint, and asbestos across the 78,000-square-foot site.
• A 1.5-year phased renovation led by Engelberth Construction and completed in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards to qualify for nearly $5 million in historic tax credit funding.
• Educational displays and outdoor interpretive panels developed by VHB's Cultural Resources and Graphic Design teams to share the history of Fort Ethan Allen and the barracks.

One key challenge was preserving the Colonial Revival-style buildings' pressed metal ceilings. VHB documented and cataloged the original tin, which was restored and reinstalled in common areas and replicated in apartment units. Masonry, porches, windows, slate roofs, mushroom vents, and new ADA-compliant ramps also required creative design solutions supported in part by building information modeling tools.

The project also prioritized sustainability through exterior insulation, high-efficiency boilers, custom storm windows, and energy recovery units. These efforts earned a Best of the Best Award for Affordable Housing Innovation from Vermont's energy efficiency utility Efficiency Vermont.

Residents began moving into the development in early 2025. Rents average about half the regional rate, with 18 Burlington Housing Authority voucher units capping rent at 30 percent of income and 15 units serving people who have experienced homelessness.

State officials have praised the project, which used 18 funding sources, as a model of adaptive reuse. Department of Housing and Community Development Commissioner Alex Farrell said: "This [development] represents a tremendous example of the type of housing that we hope to see more of as we try to solve the greatest issue facing Vermont."

"This high-profile project was a major accomplishment with important clients and partners, and we are proud of our award-winning work to preserve a rich piece of Vermont's history while addressing a critical housing shortage," said Britta Tonn, Vermont Director of Cultural Resources.

Read more about VHB's Cultural Resources team and our historic preservation efforts supporting other projects across New England, and about how we're delivering affordable housing in our communities.