Southern Vermont College Students Affectionately Remember Living in 'Florida Stucco Style' Dorms Through Bennington, VT Winters

Southern Vermont College stucco dorms.

College campuses are known for their beautiful architecture, and SVC was no different. The Everett Mansion was the pride of Southern Vermont College and all of Bennington. Built in the Norman Revival and Beaux-Arts styles, the Mansion resembled a feudal castle. 

Everett Mansion Turret Section a Fitting Place for SVC President's Office (Bennington, VT Architecture)

 

Everett Mansion turret housed SVC president's office.

SVC's halls of education were shepherded from the turret portion of the Everett Mansion. The bottom floor housed the President's Meeting Room (PMR) while the Office of the President was upstairs. 

Fit for royalty, the imposing turret space was an appropriate setting for the leader of SVC to hold high profile meetings, contemplate the next academic degree program, or simply take a moment of refuge from an exceedingly demanding job.

SVC's Everett Mansion - 'The Orchards' - Bennington's Version of Hogwarts School

 

The Everett Mansion on a fall day, Bennington, VT.

We slept in stucco dorms meant for the tropics of Florida but attended class in a 27-room Beaux-Arts mansion that had a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Everett Mansion was an architectural masterpiece every SVC student was intensely proud of. Resembling a castle or monastery, the 'The Orchards' was easily the most prominent building on campus. 

Thankfully, SVC was a laid-back environment, and it wasn't uncommon for students to attend class in their pajamas. The Everett Mansion may have resembled Hogwarts School, but we were a much less formal bunch.

Luxury SVC Folder Was the Accessory to Flex School Pride (Embossed with Southern Vermont College, Bennington seal)

Folder emblazoned with SVC seal.

If you were in the market for a folder at the SVC bookstore, this was as good as it got. With two pockets and embossed with the Southern Vermont College seal, this folder was positioned brazenly in the high-end section of school supplies. 

As a thrifty college student, I never purchased one of these folders myself. Generic folders from Walmart were more my cup of tea, often held together by bumper stickers as the semester rolled to a close. 

To be sure, there was a market for the Cadillac of SVC folders, and it was typically made up of faculty, staff, non-traditional students, and alumni. 

SVC Bennington 'Golf Style' Sweatshirt - Purchased from College Bookstore in 1990's

 

SVC Bennington vintage golf sweatshirt.

The College bookstore was known to stock a wide variety of SVC branded apparel. This vintage sweatshirt dates back to the late 1990's and was almost certainty marketed to visiting dads and grandfathers.

As a young college student, this sweatshirt was an unlikely fashion choice amongst the Sean John, Tommy Hilfiger, and Von Dutch brands that were popular at the time.

There was some speculation that this sweatshirt was specifically curated for Professors Bob Consalvo and Tony Nuvallie, who were known to play a round at Mount Anthony Country Club after a day in the classroom.

Southern Vermont College 2002-2003 Basketball 'Dream Team' Vintage T-Shirt - Glory to the Mountaineers!

Vintage SVC Basketball T-Shirt.

Legendary Coach Ryan Marks skillfully guided the 2002-2003 SVC Men's Basketball Team to a record 24-6 season, catapulting the small Bennington college to NCAA glory and nationwide recognition. 

The excitement around SVC's mountainside campus was electric that season, as the entire college would pack into the Mountaineers fieldhouse to witness history in the making.

The fabled season didn't come easy, with Coach Marks holding his infamous crack of dawn practices. Marks was known as a demanding coach who went above and beyond for his players, both preparing them for the court and mentoring them in life.