Historic Central Bennington Design Review District & the Design Review Process
The Historic Preservation Commission reviews applications for projects within the Historic Central Bennington Design Review District including new construction, additions to existing buildings, alterations to exterior facades, and alterations to or new signage on buildings or properties. Comments will be forwarded to the Development Review Board for their consideration in issuing a permit.
The Historic Central Bennington Design Review District
The Bennington Historic District is roughly 12 city blocks and represents the core of Bennington's urban history from the 1700's through the present day. The diverse building types found in the district are living evidence of the residential, commercial, institutional and industrial patterns which have given rise to Bennington's industrial history. The district boundaries reflect Bennington's location at the intersection of the main north-south and east-west through the state as well as the importance of the Walloomsac River, the source of water power which fueled the textile and other mills found within the district. Some streets within the district, like Pleasant Street, include factory buildings from several periods. Other streets, like Union Street, include houses for worked. Much of Main Street and north and South Streets are comericial with stores and public buildings. Architectural detail, building mass, siting and other factors make the district a prime example of past and present history that sets Bennington apart from other Vermont towns.
Overseen by the Design Review Board, the established historic district ensures that central Bennington's buildings and streetscapes will keep their integrity well into the future. The historic preservation guidelines developed for the district protect its character and at the same time promote growth and new construction that meld into the character of the area. The guidelines allow informed decisions to be made in repairing and altering existing buildings, in demolishing buildings which do not contribute to the character of the district and designing new buildings within the district. The Historic Preservation Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the Design Review Board. Together, with the Planning Commissions, these groups reinforce the historic character of the district and ensure wise future growth for Bennington's valuable core.
The Design Review Process
Paint Color Changes
If you are located within the Historic District and you wish to change the paint color of your building, please contact the Town Zoning Administrator at 442-1037. The Town will help you through an informal process to find an appropriate color from the approved color palette for the Historic District.
Façade Changes
If you wish to make any changes to the exterior facade of your building located within the Historic District, you will need to complete an Application for Building and Zoning Permit 
. If it is a complex change, we recommend meeting with the Zoning Administrator (442-1037) prior to submitting your application. In designing your exterior facade changes, we strongly encourage you to review the design guidelines. We also encourage you to include as much of the supplemental information as possible in your application to help the HPC and DRB understand your project.
Signage
If you would like to install a new sign or change an existing sign, you will need to complete a Town of Bennington Sign Permit Application . We encourage you to review the Design Guidelines for Signs and include as much supplemental information as possible in your application to help the HPC and DRB understand your project.
Demolition
If you would like to demolish a building anywhere in Bennington and that building is listed on the Vermont Sites and Structures Survey for the Town of Bennington or is in the Central Bennington Historic District, the demolition is prohibited unless you are able to meet several requirements laid out in Section 4.2 of the Land Use and Development Regulations Please contact Bennington's Zoning Administrator for more information at 442-1037.
Guidelines
The role of the HPC is to ascertain that your project meets the preservation guidelines for work within the historic district.
In order to help you understand how the guidelines work, the Town of Bennington has produced Time & Place in Bennington: A Handbook for the Central Bennington Historic District.
Since the Historic Preservation Commission is an advisory commission only, we will make a recommendation to the Development Review Board to either approve or deny your application. In certain cases, we may ask for more information before we can make a complete recommendation.
Files on the site marked with this symbol are in Adobe Reader pdf format.
