Craft Center Invites
Public to Open House
Sara Nelson

Slowly but surely, the Victorian mansion at the end of Randolph Avenue is beginning to look less like a haunted house and more like the funky multi-purpose creative space it is destined to be.

Built in 1887 by Robert Kimball, one of Randolph’s major philanthropists, the Kimball House, as it is known, underwent several incarnations over the decades. After serving as the Tranquility Nursing Home for close to 50 years, the house was scheduled to be razed to make way for condominiums, but was rescued by local artists, who chose it to be the new home of the White River Craft Center.

They purchased the building in 2001, and for the past six years have been transforming it into a hive of studios, classrooms, and community gathering spaces.

This Saturday, the public is invited to meet the artists and their creations, enjoy refreshments, and view the progress made so far at the Center’s annual open house. The doors will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A refurbished elegant gallery space and new peaked roof on the building’s north end are among the improvements.

The building also is already home to the Vermont Weaver’s Guild, a darkroom, and an office of the Vermont Department of Labor.

Amazingly, almost all of the renovation has been done by volunteers, many of them college and high school students. Although progress is slower this way, Craft Center founder Kevin Harty said he’s happy to give the students such a valuable learning experience.

"They’re really excited to get to work on a building that’s such an important part of our history. A lot of kids have grandparents who lived in the nursing home here."

In addition to tearing down walls and installing new electrical wiring, students have painted murals throughout the first floor, and their stained glass pieces, created at the Craft Center’s sister space on Weston Street, grace the giant windows.

Even with volunteer labor, renovation of the old building is still costly. The Craft Center is in the midst of a fundraising drive to raise $250,000 to finish the first floor, which will include a teen-run café.

The center currently offers dozens of low-cost classes in everything from basket-weaving to wood carving. Harty said the Craft Center, founded in 1998, was the vision of a small group of artists and community activists who saw the need in Randolph for a creative space for all ages.

"In this world where everything is done on computers and it’s a click away to oblivion, using your hands to create something durable is very satisfying," he said.