PUTNEY — Following nine months of construction and several years of effort, the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) will celebrate the renovation of the historic Planz House in Putney, located at 27 Old Depot Road, with an open house and community celebration on Thursday, Aug, 13 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The historic building, located in the heart of Putney Village, will house 11 individuals and families in energy-efficient, freshly-renovated affordable apartments.
The building at 27 Old Depot Road was built circa 1900 by Dr. Laura Plantz, the first female medical practitioner in Vermont. The distinctive 2½-story building - with its original 2-story rear ell, or back house, and attached former barn, slate roofing, twin chimneys and an unusual slate-sided cupola - was modified around 1950 when the building belonged to Windham College.
The college added a 2-story portico to the front and the building was used as a dormitory, infirmary, and classrooms, with a dining hall, lounge, and bookstore in the attached barn. Before the occupancy of Windham College, Norman Mailer lived in the property, and it is believed that he wrote his second novel, Barbary Shore, while living there.
The purchase of the Planz House by Windham & Windsor Housing Trust evolved from the work and recommendations of the Putney Affordable Housing Committee, which specifically called out this large village property as one having great potential for affordable housing.
WWHT purchased the property in June, 2014, and began renovations in the fall of the same year.
The $2.4 million renovation was funded through equity from the sale of Low Income Housing and Historic Tax Credits, as well as funding from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Vermont Community Development Program, Vermont Housing Finance Agency, NeighborWorks America, Efficiency Vermont, and the Vermont Fuel Efficiency Partnerships.
Equity was secured through Housing Vermont's Green Mountain Equity Fund, and People's United Bank provided the construction financing.
The architect for the project is NBF Architect, and civil engineering has been provided by Stevens and Associates Engineers. DEW/MacMillin is the general contractor.