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The Southern Vermont Arts Center is a multi-disciplinary arts organization in
Manchester, Vermont Manchester is a town in, and one of two shire towns (county seats) of, Bennington County, Vermont. The population was 4,484 at the 2020 census. Manchester Village, an incorporated village, and Manchester Center are settlement centers within ...
. It is located on the west side of West Road, at the former Yester House country estate. The center includes art galleries with permanent and rotating exhibits, the area's largest sculpture park, a performance space, and educational facilities. Its grounds are open to the public for recreational pursuits, with trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. The center's campus is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.


Programs


Campus history

The center's campus, first used as a farm and woodlot by members of the Orvis family, was established as a summer country estate by William and Gertrude Divine Ritter, then of
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, in 1916. The Ritters hired the
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
architectural firm Murphy and Dana to design the main buildings of the estate, include the large 28-room
Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...
main house, now known as the Yester House Gallery. The Ritters apparently separated during the development of the estate's plans, and were soon divorced. Gertrude Divine Ritter retained ownership of the estate, soon afterward remarrying, to Hugh Webster. Mrs. Webster used the estate for entertainment, and to display collected artworks, including more than 6,000 pieces of hand-blown glass. Although she wanted the house to become a museum for her collections, they were auctioned off after her death in 1947, and the property was put up for sale. Southern Vermont Artists, Inc. purchased it in 1950, and began development of the arts center with summer exhibits. The campus has since then grown to include a modern gallery, open-air performance pavilion, and an education center.


See also

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Bennington County ...


References


External links


Southern Vermont Arts Center web site
{{NRHP in Bennington County, Vermont Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Colonial Revival architecture in Vermont Houses completed in 1917 Buildings and structures in Manchester, Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Bennington County, Vermont Arts centers in Vermont Museums in Bennington County, Vermont