The Ruth Stone House Restoration Project
What we're doing
Ruth Stone House volunteer staff and board members have been working for nearly a decade to restore and revitalize this historic property in Goshen, VT. Over the years we have raised thousands of dollars through crowdsourcing and grants; hired carpenters, architects and engineers to restore about 50% of the main house. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers—lovers of poetry, students, enthusiastic benefactors and people simply excited to be part of this ambitious project—we have already made this incredible house a realized space. Now we are ready to complete the entire renovations so we can focus exclusively on our rapidly expanding programming.
This capital campaign to restore the house is split into three phases: Phase One has focused on vital repairs to structure of the house (to save it from having to be completely rebuilt); Phase Two, on reinstalling utilities and finishing up the first floor (letterpress room, workshop rooms, event space and downstairs bathroom); and Phase Three projects focus on the south wing of the house (poetry study, children’s space, handicap accessible bathroom) and a kitchen. We have completed phase one and most of phase two. Our goal is complete all our fundraising by the end of 2024 and to complete all restoration by fall of 2025.
Completion of the main house will mean:
- More in-person classes & letterpress studio hours
- Overnight writing retreats
- Poetry library & open community hours for space to write & read
- Accessibility for those with disabilities
- Ability to host dinners in combination with poetry readings & retreats
- Rebuilding of our landscape, intentional re-wilding of indigenous plants; revitalization of the gardens and orchard the Ruth Stone maintained in her lifetime
- and so much more!
$200,000 +
Pioneer
Pioneer Patrons are institutions and individuals that see the greater vision of our cause, which is much more than the property itself. These incredible patrons recognize our dedication and vision in creating rigorous study of poetry the crucial need in supporting poetry for future generations. We are undertaking a very special project to recognize our Pioneer Patrons evermore front and center at Ruth Stone House. They will be forever a founding member of our visionary project.
$50,000+
Poetry Library
Our ever-growing poetry library is spread out throughout the entire Ruth Stone House, in intimate nooks for quiet reading time and workshop and event spaces. With beautiful views of the Green Mountain National forest and sounds of the book that Ruth Stone (and others) wrote so many poems about, each designated library space will be inspired. Donors will recieve curated literary tributes in the sections they would like named in their honor The library will be a prized, richly stocked and diverse collection, lovingly maintained and catalogued by our staff.
$30,000+
Philosophy, Psychoanalysis and Spirituality Library
Our organization is dedicated to the investigation of studies that over lap and coincide with the study of poetry and poetics. For this reason we are building a library dedicated to nonfiction books that investigate a wide array of fundamental questions concerning subject matters around psyche, the nature of existence, spirituality, knowledge, thought, language and more. This will be on the first floor of the main house, in the back study.
$20,000+
The Porch
The Porch
Whatsoever comes to the screen,
$5,000+
Workshop Chairs
By naming a workshop chair in one of our classrooms, you will guarantee generations to come will have access to a vivid and inspiring experience. These workshops are more than just classes, they aim to be experiences that transform individuals, and spread out to their communities through in a shared love of language and art.