Past
The town of
Northfield has 125 years of pride and tradition invested in the
Gray Building. The building served as a focal point for generations
of Northfield children. The community owned this building because
they used it.
The
Gray Building is significant in the development of elementary
and secondary school consolidation in Vermont. It is one of the
first multiple classroom buildings constructed before the reform
law of 1892. This building is remarkable in the state, given its
early date and continuous use as a school and for its high degree
of architectural integrity. It is very well preserved on the exterior
and retains most of its trademark 19th century symmetrical floor
plan. At the time of the building's construction, school systems
were influenced by an increasing amount of literature and training
about both educational reform and new school building design.
