Abandoned Vermont: Manchester Inn is one of the more popular posts in the series. The inn was the subject of debate when it closed and then again when it was scheduled for demolition to make way for a new hotel. While there was much concern about the new hotel, the architecture fits in with the historic district setting. Have you seen it? What do you think? If you haven’t, take a look at website: Taconic.
The inn has had a few names. Here’s a quick list:
1907: opens as the Orchard Park Hotel
1919: bought by Julia and James Brown, renamed The Worthy Inn
1945-1986: various owners, name remains The Worthy Inn
1986: bought by Ann & Jay Degen, name changed the Village Country Inn
2009: Inn goes into foreclosure
A reader, Gregory, kindly sent some postcard images that he thought fans of The Worthy Inn / The Village Country Inn would enjoy. Take a look!
Mirabel Airport opened in 1975, just in time for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. At the time it was the largest airport in the world, and meant to solve the problems of Montreal’s (supposed) overcrowded Dorval Airport (now Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport). While Mirabel Airport was sited a fair distance (34 miles) outside of downtown Montreal, the master plan was to construct high speed rail and a highway to provide easy access for travelers. It sounded good. However, the rail was never constructed and the highway ended before the airport. Mirabel became too inconvenient for travelers and airlines, all of whom preferred Dorval Airport. Passenger numbers never reached the predictions of 20 million, and slowly declined, with passenger service ending in 2004. Since then, the terminal has sat empty, used only for the filming of a few films (The Terminal; Warm Bodies, for example). The former passenger airline runway is used for racing tracks (a brilliant adaptive reuse of all that pavement!) The airport serves only cargo planes.
However, an abandoned airport is particularly on the creepy side, when you consider that it’s a modern relic. The approach to the airport includes an empty parking garage on one side and the abandoned hotel on the other side. The Chateau Aeroport-Mirabel closed in 2002 due to lack of business. The hotel has sat empty since then. For a while there was talk of rehabilitating the terminal into a conference center, but plans never materialized. As of May 2014, the demolition of the airport terminal was announced, citing that rehabilitation / adaptive reuse could cost tens of millions of dollars.
Drag racing on the runways. You can see signs of the airport taxi lanes.
A portion of the terminal that you can walk up to, but not see in.
That same portion outside the fence.
The terminal is fenced off.
View of the terminal from across the runway.
The terminal at sunset.
The Chateau Aeroport-Mirabel.
Broken windows, curtains hanging, some lights on… creepy in concrete. There’s a Soviet Russia feel here.
View of the Chateau and the abandoned parking deck, with the terminal in the background.
An example of poor modern planning, perhaps? What do you think of this modern relic abandoned and demolished?
Manchester, Vermont is a popular high-style tourist destination with historic buildings, historic marble sidewalks, nearby recreation, shopping outlets – it’s picture perfect on so many streets. So you can imagine my surprise when I noticed this abandoned structure in the middle of historic Manchester.
On Main Street.
I know I’ve driven by this building at least a few times in the past few years, maybe the fall day made its abandoned-ness more apparent. This was an interesting building. On the exterior it appeared that someone had attempted maintenance relatively recently. Yet peeking in the windows revealed peeling paint, water damage, and the usual vandalism inside. A sticker on the front door had a 2003 Conde Nast logo, so presumably the building had only been empty for a few years – likely not 10. It was weird. Check out these photos and see what I mean.
Marble sidewalks in Manchester.
The view from Route 7A (Main Street) in Manchester, VT.
The property is much larger than you can see from the street. Hmm, and a shallow roof pitch. That is never a good idea in cold climates.
A marble patio with an outdoor pool (not shown in photo).
The front porch.
On the front porch.
Looking through the windows. It’s amazing how much has deteriorated in just a few years. If the first floor looks like this, what do the upper floors look like?
This takes “shuttered” to a new level.
And the story? Well, the inn closed in 2009 due to foreclosure, and approved for demolition in 2011 by the Development Review Board. Recently purchased in 2013, the currents owners do not have a plan for the property. With its fate of demolition looming, the important questions will turn to documentation and infill.
You know I’m not kidding when I tell you that this was a birthday present and I love it. And it reminds me of an early flamingo trip to South Beach, Miami, FL.
Preservation in Pink 