eight. In 1995, a new K-8 facility was built on Parkside Terrace, consolidating the functions of the neighborhood schools scattered around the city. The Spaulding School building then stood vacant. Renovations In 1996, the Vermont Historical Society, looking for a new building to house its collections and expand its services, approached the City of Barre about the possibility of using the empty school. In September 2000, the Historical Society purchased the old Spaulding building from the city for $1.00. Renovations began in October of that year. Architects for the renovations were Black River Design of Montpelier; the general contractor was H.P. Cummings Construction. The partially completed facility opened to the public on July 20, 2002. The first phase of the renovation included finishing space for the Society's library on the second floor of the original building; offices, a book store and a meeting room on the first floor of the 1891 building; and library and museum collection storage vaults in the basement of the entire building. Today, the first and second floor reception foyers feature the school's original wainscoting made of American chestnut, now an endangered species. Original pressed tin ceilings have been cleaned and restored and are visible throughout the 1891 building. In the library "stacks" room on the second floor, stained glass windows, hidden many years by a suspended ceiling, have been exposed and restored. In all, a little over half of the 60,000 foot space (two floors in the 1891 building and the entire basement) has been renovated for use by the Vermont Historical Society. References Further reading Duffy, John J., et al. The Vermont Encyclopedia. University Press of New England: 2003. . Allen D. Hodgdon. Biography of Lambert Packard. External links Spaulding High School Barre, Vermont Schools in Washington County, Vermont Defunct schools in Vermont Museums in Washington County, Vermont