A former convent with views of Lake Memphremagog is now home to Newport renters, and the work on the old Sacred Heart campus isn't finished yet.
RuralEdge celebrated the grand opening of Newport Crossing on Sept. 25, marking the completion of a $21.5 million housing development that created 40 new affordable and mixed-income rental homes in the City of Newport and Newport Center. The project also cleaned up two brownfield sites, according to RuralEdge's announcement, published by Vermont Business Magazine.
"This project transformed properties that once presented significant environmental challenges into quality, affordable homes for community members in the Northeast Kingdom," said Patrick Shattuck, RuralEdge's executive director.
A convent with a new purpose
In Newport City, RuralEdge turned the former convent into 26 units of mixed-income rental housing. The building was redeveloped to keep its historic character while providing modern, sustainable homes, including units with large windows that take in the views across the lake.
The past is still visible inside. Stained glass windows, furniture in the seating area and the kitchenette in the community room are original pieces salvaged from the convent so the property's history lives on, RuralEdge said.
According to RuralEdge's project page, the renovated and expanded convent at the Sacred Heart High School site offers one- and two-bedroom apartments spread across four floors in a secure elevator building. It includes a community room, a laundry room and a backyard with a courtyard and terraces, and the larger parcel has green space and a walking trail. The site offers a walkable connection to downtown Newport and its amenities, the page says.
Income eligibility goes up to 80% of area median income, and the units don't carry rental subsidies. Most rents are set from $933 to $1,343 a month, including heat, hot water, electric, air conditioning, trash removal, parking, campus-wide Wi-Fi and on-site laundry, the page says. Completed applications are processed first come, first served. There are also electric vehicle charging stations on site, and the Support and Services at Home program will offer support and programming.
In Newport Center, RuralEdge demolished two buildings at 4116 and 4127 Vermont Route 105 and replaced them with new structures designed to fit the village's historic streetscape. That part of the project adds 14 homes, including four three-bedroom townhouses along with one- and two-bedroom units.
Speakers at the ribbon cutting included State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, RuralEdge Board President Nikole Brainard, Newport City Council President Carter Finegan, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board Executive Director Gus Seelig, Vermont Housing Finance Agency Executive Director Maura Collins, Community National Bank Chief Financial Officer Louise Bonvechio, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston Program Manager Mike Pingpank and NeighborWorks America Senior Manager Kimberly O'Brien.
RuralEdge isn't done. "The adapted Sacred Heart Convent and neighboring Sacred Heart School are a key piece of Newport's community history," the nonprofit says on its project page. In its announcement, the nonprofit said it plans to begin stabilization work on the Sacred Heart School, including a new roof, within 45 days, ahead of redeveloping the school into 32 more units, with construction starting in 2027.
"Newport Crossing represents what is possible when communities, housing organizations, government agencies, financial institutions, and other partners come together around a shared vision," Shattuck said.
Why it matters for Contractors
Newport Crossing packed several kinds of work into one project: historic adaptive reuse, new construction, demolition and brownfield remediation. That's a wide range of trades on a single project, from environmental cleanup to demolition, framing and finish work.
The convent conversion is a good example of the careful work these jobs require. Salvaging stained glass, original furniture and a kitchenette, and building them back into a modern elevator building, takes planning, protection and skilled finish carpentry.
The next phase is already lined up. A new roof and stabilization at the Sacred Heart School come first, then a 32-unit redevelopment starting in 2027. Roofers and contractors who stabilize older institutional buildings should watch for that work, and the 32-unit redevelopment would be another sizable job in the Northeast Kingdom.
RuralEdge's announcement didn't name the contractors on Newport Crossing, so builders and subcontractors interested in the roof work or the school redevelopment should contact the St. Johnsbury-based nonprofit directly.