Ward 5 School Apartments Receives 2026 Preservation Award

For years, the former Ward 5 School building sat empty at the top of Humbert Street in Barre City. 

Ward 5 served generations of Barre students from 1901 until 1995, the year when the school closed due to district consolidation. The building then took on a second life as an office space, remaining in operation until 2013. Ward 5 would then sit vacant for a full decade before finding its new purpose in 2023.

This time, Ward 5 would become permanently affordable housing as Ward 5 School Apartments.

In collaboration with Evernorth, Downstreet Housing & Community Development led the adaptive reuse from 2023 to 2025, transforming the former school from a decaying structure into nine permanently affordable apartment homes—an effort that recently earned Ward 5 School Apartments a 2026 Preservation Award by the Preservation Trust of Vermont.

Restoring Ward 5 into a place of community and connection was no small undertaking. By the time redevelopment began, the building had been classified as "blighted," meaning years of deterioration had left it unsafe for people. Decaying classrooms and gymnasiums needed to be reconfigured into apartments. Asbestos and lead paint required extensive remediation. Modern fire codes needed to be met throughout the entire building.

Yet even as Ward 5 was transformed, great care was taken to preserve its historic character. Original chalkboards were incorporated into apartment walls. Historic windows were restored. The building’s stunning wood staircases were renovated to maintain the original character of the building. 

The result was everything the community could have hoped for: Ward 5 School Apartments created much-needed, stable housing in Central Vermont while preserving an important piece of Barre's history for generations to come.

Watch the video below to learn more about the transformation of the historic Ward 5 School into permanently affordable housing.