Rutland in Rutland County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)
Rutland Jewish Center
has been placed on the
National Register
Of
Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Erected 2019 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the William G. Pomeroy Foundation series list.
Location. 43° 36.752′ N, 72° 58.862′ W. Marker is in Rutland, Vermont, in Rutland County. It is on Grove Street east of Grove Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 96 Grove St, Rutland VT 05701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Vermont’s Green Mountains. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Italian American Club of Rutland, Vermont (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Why Trains? (approx. Ό mile away); Redfield Proctor (approx. 0.3 miles away); Tom Fagan (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ann Story (approx. 0.3 miles away); Dr. Charles Caverly (approx. 0.3 miles away); A Tribute to the Brilliance of Christo & Jeanne-Claude
this page online
Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.
This building, currently the Rutland Jewish Center, is historically known the H.H. Baxter Memorial Library. The form was prepared by Kathlyn Hatch and Emma Jane Saxe, Architectural Historians with Vermont Division for Historic Preservation on April 8, 1978. A statement of historical significance is on page 3:
The H. H. Baxter Memorial Library, now the Rutland Jewish Center, is historically significant to the Rutland Community both as a building constructed to memorialize a leading 19th century citizen and as a building dedicated fifty years ago as a house of worship for the Congregation Adath Israel formed in Rutland in 1911. Architect-designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, popular at the time of its construction in 1889, the library is a fine example of period architecture, executed in locally-quarried marble.
Mary E. Roberts Baxter survived her husband, Horace Henry, for eleven years following his death in 1884, after a long career as a financier in New York City. She had the library built in his memory. Although Baxter had sold his interest in the Rutland Marble Company by 1863 and takenup residence in New York, he continued to spend summers in Rutland at his mansion, formerly located across Kendall Avenue from the library and since demolished. He was extremely active in local civic affairs while residing in Rutland. His widow engaged Walter Pomeroy to select the books for the planned library which task he completed in 1891. Apparently the library was opened to the public around 1895, the year of the opening of Library Avenue.Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 20, 20262. Rutland Jewish Center Marker to the right of the entrance
There is no known record of how the library fared following the death of Mary Baxter in 1895. In 1927 the Jewish community of Rutland purchased the library and changed the name of their congregation from Adath Israel to the Rutland Jewish Center, Inc. The domed wing was made the synagogue itself with the addition of the ark and new oak benches, the latter being replaced in 1948. Various improvements to the interior were made subsequently, including the addition of lighting fixtures in the synagogue in 1946.
The Rutland Jewish Center is an excellent example of a sympathetic re-use of a formal, quasi-public building. The structure is significantly reflective of its 19th century origins and its 20th century present use. (Submitted on June 26, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)
Additional keywords.JudaicaPhotographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 20, 20263. Rutland Jewish Center, historically the H.H. Baxter Memorial Library
Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 26, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
