Restored St. Michael’s College cupola has new home on campus

COLCHESTER, Vt. (WCAX) - The iconic St. Michael’s College cupola has a new home on campus.

The cupola, which is featured on the school’s logo, sat atop Founders Hall for more than a century before it was taken down in May 2021.

Founders Hall was the oldest building on the Colchester campus before it was razed when the school determined the 118-year-old building would cost too much to fix.

But the cupola was saved. It underwent restoration to replace some rotted wood, was repainted in its original color, and topped with a new copper roof.

It returned to campus on Tuesday to be placed on a new pedestal in the heart of the campus.

“It means a lot to the community here. Obviously, it’s our logo, so that’s a big part. People have been anticipating this coming back since May ‘21 already, you know, it’s been upward of 18 months. So people are excited, they know it’s coming back, they’re happy to see it back,” said Joel Ribout of St. Michael’s College.

The cupola will be the centerpiece of a new Wi-Fi accessible gathering space that will be used as an outdoor classroom, as well as an area for students to sit and study.

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