Posts Tagged ‘Old Bennington’

40 West Road, Old Bennington …with historic beauty and magnificient features. A grand entrance hall with exquisite staircase and spectacular windows. Four fireplaces and a woodstove. Spacious rooms with ceiling beams and stunning details. Great kitchen tastefully encompassing both past and present. Elegant formal dining room and living room. Six bedrooms, five baths, and plently of room for storage. This home can be heated with either gas or oil. Lovely yard with heated lap pool, decking with reclaimed iron bars creatively used for fencing and fabulous barn. To learn more about this wonderful property, click here! Listing Agent: Ann Cummings.  $549,900.

110 Monument Avenue, Bennington. Architecturally designed New England Saltbox.  First floor master suite with fireplace,   gracious living space with cathedral ceilings, two other fireplaces, brick floors. Bathrooms have been updated with granite countertops and tile floors. Newer roof and heating systems, central air conditioning.  Blue stone patios, 2 car garage. Master suite could be professional office or in-law suite.  For details, photos and virtual tour, click  here.  Listing Agent: Kelley McCarthy.  $569,000.

3 Monument Circle, Old Bennington. One of the Grand Dames of Old Bennington. c.1890 Center Hall Colonial design with formal appointments such as grand foyer and stair case, ten main rooms, three fire places with carved traditional mantles, four full baths and two half baths. Master bedroom suite with private sitting room. Finished and heated third floor and finished rooms with private entrance at ground level. Attached green house, 2-car basement garage and equipment barn. Orientation of the home overlooks 11.48 acres of lawns, perennials and woods with a dramatic view of the East Mountain Range. All of the quality one would imagine in a Victorian era reproduction Estate-type home. First time on the market since 1963.  Details, photos and virtual tour available here.  Listing Agent: Kathleen Hoisington.  Now available for $450,000.

There are so many reasons to love our area.  When I take a walk with my childhood friend and we start down Town Hill from Old Bennington, we always take a deep breath and say how much we love this place.  From this vantage point we can see the bustling village, church steeples and historic industrial buildings as well as the fabulous Green Mountain Range….not bad for a morning walk!

Here are ten of the many reasons that I (a third generation Benningtonian) would not live anyplace else:

1)  If I go to the grocery store I get to visit with friends, aisle by aisle.

2)  If I have to go to the hospital, most nurses and doctors know me by name and give me comfort.

3)  If I want to ride my horse I can break away midday and be back to the office in time to finish work.

4)  We have outstanding libraries in both Bennington and North Bennington.

5)  If I wanted to ski in the winter I could join the business people’s group for downhill skiing every Wednesday afternoon or I could pick numerous spots, professionally groomed, for cross country skiing.  In the summer, if I want to swim, we have lakes and watering holes as well as a great indoor pool at the Rec Center.  I love to show off our very fine Mount Anthony Country Club to golfers moving to town.

6)  When I feel the need for culture, there are concerts, art shows and even our own Symphony Orchestra to attend.

7)  When I want to express my views about how the Town is run, I can attend the annual Town Meeting and take my turn.

8)  When my grandchildren have a play, concert or sports event I can enjoy these things first hand.

9)  When I start gaining weight despite all of these activities, there are many fitness clubs, an indoor tennis facility and yoga teachers to bring me back from the abyss.

10) Last but not least, just driving up to the Four Corners on a soft snowy December evening with all of the Christmas garland and lights twinkling with the wonderful Bank Clock aglow made one of my city clients say…”This is like a scene from It’s A Wonderful Life.”….It is.

Over the years, I have been privileged to have ben the listing agent for several of Old Bennington’s historic homes including the Jedediah Dewey home (the first minister at Old Bennington’s First Congregational Church), the Governor Robinson manse the Govenor Tichenor residence.  I have also been involved in the sale and listing of both Robert Frost properties in Shaftsbury and many, many other prominent and non-prominent historic properties, all of which have been amazingly sound and historically preserved.  It is a joy to work on these properties from the 18th and early 19th century and to share our knowledge of them with new buyers.

Bennington’s Victorian homes are truly splendid, although many of them were built not far from the industry of their original owneres and as time has progressed, have become a part of our business district.  You will see some of these fine homes now converted to law offices, professional buildings, convalescent centers and Bed & Breakfast use. If built a little later in the 20th century, they may still be in use as residences although they may be situated on a surprisingly small lot for the size of the home.  They remain very popular.  The Arts & Crafts cottages are easily spotted in our fist settled village residential areas and they offer tremendous character and solidly built frames.  They add grace and history to our oldest residential streets.

I could go on and on about the summer homes in Old Bennington built at the turn of the century, including “The Priory” that belonged to Mary Sanford on Monument Circle.  I sold this property in 2001 and the new owners have lovingly restored the entire 3-story home along with returning the gardens to their original splendour – they are spectacular!

Every single historic home has a story; why wouldn’t I love to represent these properties and their very special buyers and sellers?

There are many such fine homes listed in the Bennington area. For more information click here.

One of the great things about living here in Southern Vermont and specifically in the Bennington area is the number of opportunities we have to stay active and healthy, just by getting up and going outside!  The Green Mountains offer us the opportunity for some challenging mountain biking as well as its portion of the Long Trail for some great hiking.  For those who prefer a “kinder, gentler” type of walk there is the walk at the Mile Around Woods at the Park McCullough Mansion in North Bennington as well as Hadwen’s Walk at the Bennington Museum.  There are walking tours of both Old Bennington and Downtown Bennington and there is the lovely Bennington Pathway which winds along the Walloomsac River from School Street over to the Bennington Station on Depot Street.  Of course, all throughout Bennington County there are scenic country roads that provide a wonderful place for walking and jogging. 

We are so health conscious here in our little corner of Vermont that our local hospital, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, sponsors the Trek for Health each year.  Thousands of participants from Bennington and its surrounding communities take part in an eight week event tracking their steps and activities in an attempt to get folks up and moving!  I’m proud to say that Hoisington Realty has had a team participate in the Trek for Health every year!

So get up, get outside and go stretch your legs – you’ll be glad you did!

For me it is on Carpenter Hill Road at the crest of the hill, in the middle of Southern Vermont Orchard. Take a ride up there during apple blossom time in May and you will have the added beauty and scent of thousands of apple trees in full bloom.

From this vantage point, you get the dramatic sense of the valley that our Town of Bennington, including North Bennington, Old Bennington and Shaftsbury enjoy. From here you can see the roadways, waterways and the Green Mountains to the East, The Taconic Range to the West and straight north to Mount Equinox in Manchester.

What are your favorite views in the area?  Let us know so that we can share them with everyone. Southwestern Vermont is a naturally beautiful place and we should pause and take the time to appreciate it.  How lucky we are to live and work in such an environment!