On a frigid January night in 1922, Lyndon Institute’s majestic Thompson Hall burnt to the ground. The very next morning, the community gathered among the ashes and began planning for a new building—one even bigger and better than the original. Led by local benefactors like Elmer Darling, town residents began raising money through subscriptions. The effort paid off—within a year the main building that defines LI’s campus stood tall and ready for new generations of students.

Now, 100 years later, LI is launching a new fundraising campaign, not to replace its historic building, but to give it some much-needed updates and a fresh face to welcome students, staff, and visitors alike.

The campaign is focusing on two separate upgrades to the school’s Main Building and a third upgrade to the school’s lower campus.

Click to watch a short video on the Mini Capital Campaign.

Pictured is an architectural rendering of proposed upgrades to the Pierce Wing of Lyndon Institute’s Main Building. This is one of several upgrades that the school has recently proposed through a recent fundraising effort. Image by Burrington Design Build, LLC.

While the great wooden door sheltered beneath the iconic pillared portico serves as the “main entrance” to the Main Building, in reality, most who arrive at LI enter through Pierce Wing by the cafeteria. The largest upgrade will encompass an expansion and redesign of the Pierce Wing entrance.

The redesign has two elements. First, the entryway will be built out to encompass and enclose the current concrete patio. Designed to complement the columned main entrance, this expansion will feature a new reception area to greet guests, improve the building’s security, and better facilitate the flow of foot traffic into the school.

Moving the reception area into the addition offers the additional benefit of freeing up space inside, allowing for the creation of a lounge area with updated furniture to offer a welcoming environment for students and visitors alike.

The final element of the Pierce Wing project will be a redesign of the bathrooms outside the cafeteria, bathrooms which haven’t been remodeled for nearly forty-five years. A set of five single-use bathrooms will replace the two male and female group bathrooms, offering greater security and privacy, as well as more gender-neutral bathroom options in the Main Building.

The second upgrade involves replacing the original century-old, single-pane windows along the front of the school, completing a project begun six years ago with the replacement of the rear and side windows of the Main Building. Though the building’s original windows certainly have a classic appeal, their condition has deteriorated to the point where reglazing is no longer a viable option. These new windows will boost the building’s energy efficiency, bringing both financial savings and a reduced environmental footprint.

The final upgrade will help our technical education facilities on Lyndon Institute’s lower campus by increasing the available power. The current electrical infrastructure is no longer enough to serve the school’s needs. LI’s Welding and Metal Fabrication program has rapidly increased its enrollment over the last several years, as has Applied Engineering (Machining). While this is a good problem for the CTE program to have, it does require adding more workstations and equipment, all of which require more juice. To help accommodate the expansion, the Woodworking program will be relocating to Vail Barn, which will also require electrical upgrades. In the end, building out the lower campus’s electric supply will allow the school to both expand its offerings and protect equipment from excessive wear and tear.

Lyndon Institute has already made good headway on its campaign, having raised$500,000 from long-term supporters of the school. In fact, funds for the lower campus power upgrade have already been raised. LI now hopes to receive the remaining amount of its $1,000,000 goal from a broad range of stakeholders—from alums to local community members to faculty and staff to parents of past and present students.

Over the last few decades, Lyndon Institute has improved its campus with new athletic facilities, a new arts center, a new student center, and a new library among other upgrades, all through the generosity of donors willing to support a school they love.

Unlike a public school that can issue a bond when it needs capital, independent schools rely primarily on donations from its community to help grow and improve. While this presents a challenge, especially for a school like LI that serves the general public rather than an elite prep school, it can end up being a strength, tightening the bonds of a community as its members come together in its time of need, just as they did almost a hundred years ago.

For additional information or to donate, please follow the link below. Thank you for your support!

HONORING TRADITION WHILE CELEBRATING THE FUTURE