Moments Project – The Crosby Block
In 1869 two disasters had devastated much of Brattleboro. A flood in the Whetstone Valley had destroyed mills and businesses. The Main Street Bridge washed away. A fire burned the west side of Main Street. All buildings and businesses between Elliot and High Streets were gone.
A leading local entrepreneur, Edward Crosby, took the initiative of redevelopment. In July of 1870 Crosby purchased half the business district on the westside of Main Street. The land cost $30,000 and provided 208 feet of Main Street frontage.
A local architect, George A. Hines, designed the elongated three-story, flat-roofed, brick commercial block. The Crosby Block was built at a cost of almost $175,000. The ground floor housed a variety of stores, the second floor had professional offices, and the third floor had apartments. It constituted the longest continuous facade ever built in Brattleboro’s downtown.
Most of the Crosby Block has seen little change. The Crosby Block is the beginning of the Brattleboro known today.
The Brattleboro Vermont Historical Society-
