Current Use: 251 South Willard was just purchased recently by Champlain College. The building needs to be properly permitted by the city of Burlington and refurbished by the College before it can be used.

Location: 251 South Willard Street

Year of Construction:

Original Owner:

Year Purchased by Champlain College: 2004

History: 251 South Willard Street was built in 1859 by Edward Phelps, a lawyer and high-level diplomat during Grover Cleveland’s administration. Phelps was born in Middlebury in 1822, attended Middlebury College and received his law degree from Yale. He practiced in both Middlebury and Burlington until 1851, when President Millard Fillmore appointed him Second Auditor of the U.S. Treasury, and Phelps moved to Washington, D.C.

In 1854, Phelps returned to Burlington and resumed his practice. As befitting his status, he had a new home built in Italianate style in the Hill Section of Burlington, which was just starting to open up to development. It was designed by William Bergholtz, a prominent architect who came to Burlington several years before to design an estate for LeGrand Cannon. (The house was destroyed years ago, but much of the Cannon property [no relation to Dr. Cannon] encompassed Summit, South Prospect and Cliff Streets.)

Phelps became president of the American Bar Association in 1880 and retired from practice in 1881. He then moved to Connecticut to teach law courses at Yale, but kept his South Willard Street home as a summer house. During the 54 years he lived in Burlington, he entertained many prominent and important people of his day, such as J.P. Morgan, who visited him six times.

In 1885, President Cleveland appointed him Ambassador to the Court of St. James in London. He held that post for two years. He died at his New Haven, Connecticut, home in 1900. Mrs. Phelps continued to summer in Burlington.

In 1913, the house was sold to John J. Flynn, who remodeled the house, added the front porch and the south wing. It would take many pages to list all the accomplishments of Flynn. Those who have lived in this area most likely have heard of Flynn School, Flynn Avenue and the Flynn Theater, but may not be aware of the other major accomplishments in John J. Flynn’s life.

Flynn was one of the original founders of the Chittenden Bank, the Burlington Traction Company (which brought electric trolley cars to Winooski and Essex Junction), the Barre and Montpelier Street Railroad system, the St. Albans and Swanton electric line, the Bellows Falls and Saxtons River electric line, the Barre Gas plant and the hydroelectric system of the Vergennes Electric Company. He saw the advantage of buying up real estate around the Burlington area and was one of the largest land owners. He served on numerous boards of Chittenden County corporations and managed simultaneously a thriving retail grocery company, the Flynn and Majestic Theaters in Burlington, the Capitol Theater in Montpelier, and was president of both the Vermont Milk Chocolate Company and the Elias Lyman Coal Company. He was director of the Burlington Mutual Fire Insurance Company and of the Burlington Building and Loan Association.

Flynn died in 1940 and left his house to the City of Burlington to operate as a home for aged men, but the city thought the expense of running such a home too high. The home was then sold to Gilbert Brewer, who had numerous automobile businesses in Burlington. The current Burlington Police Station was originally Brewer Motors. Brewer also developed Brewer Parkway in South Burlington, which bears his name.

Dr. and Mrs. Martin Cannon then bought the home in 1955. In 2004, Champlain College purchased the property from the Cannon family.