Tenth Cavalry Apartments

Champlain Housing Trust / Evernorth

Three historic buildings at Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester, Vermont have been given a new life as affordable housing after a multi-year renovation project led by the Champlain Housing Trust and Evernorth.

The structures were built in 1904 as barracks for the “Buffalo Soldiers,” African American members of the U.S. Army’s 10th Cavalry regiment. The Army occupied the buildings until 1944, at which time the buildings were put to other uses, including dormitories for Saint Michael’s College, until the mid-2010s.

Historic preservation, energy efficiency, and accessibility were the primary goals of extensive exterior renovations, which included porches, windows, and new ADA compliant rear entries. Inside, renovations focused on creating energy efficient, durable living spaces while retaining the buildings’ historic charm and character.

FFF helped facilitate multiple rounds of complex negotiations to meet local, state, and federal requirements for the publicly funded project. The end result is an award-winning project that provides 65 perpetually affordable and healthy homes in Vermont’s tight housing market. It has been recognized by both Efficiency Vermont and the Preservation Trust of Vermont as a model for future housing redevelopment in a state with some of the oldest housing stock in the United States.