The Latchis Vision

In March 2003, capping a successful $1.6 million campaign, the Brattleboro Arts Initiative, in partnership with the Preservation Trust of Vermont, purchased the historic Latchis Memorial Building at the corner of Main and Flat Streets in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont.

The Latchis was built in 1938 by the Latchis family. It was their testament to the life and work of Demetrius P. Latchis, who had come from Greece in the early 1900’s and had made a successful life for himself and his family in his adopted country.

The building was a creation of artistic beauty and value to the community. Billed as “A Town Within a Town – All Under One Roof,” the 60-room hotel and ballroom, 1,200-seat motion picture palace, coffee shop, dining room, and gift shop were touchstones in the lives of many area residents. Now, almost seven decades later, the building is still very much a part of the economic and artistic vitality of downtown Brattleboro. By seizing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Brattleboro Arts Initiative and the Preservation Trust of Vermont have ensured that this complex, with its hotel, pub, micro-brewery, restaurant space, theater facilities, and retail storefronts, will continue to play a leading role in southern Vermont’s cultural, economic and community life.

Ambitious Goals

Early on, BAI realized that acquiring the complex was, in fact, a commitment to protect and preserve this fine building. In preparation for accepting the steward’s role, the Brattleboro Arts Initiative formulated a ten year vision for the Latchis Project.

A decade may seem like a long time, but accomplishing the multi-faceted goals and dreams the Latchis deserves will engage Brattleboro Arts Initiative and the community for years to come.

Since 2003, BAI has consulted Brattleboro’s townspeople and Town officials, our generous and visionary donors, artists, theatre professionals, movie aficionados, hospitality experts, musicians, master planners, architects, historic preservationists, and craftsmen. We have listened and taken this input into account, in order to come up with an intelligent, effective, prioritized and economically feasible plan for the future of the Latchis Building. What is our vision?

  • To establish the Latchis as an arts magnet for downtown Brattleboro.
  • To continue the long-standing Latchis tradition of presenting first run and art house movies.
  • To develop the integration of the theaters, the hotel, and the pub, to provide downtown Brattleboro with a cultural one-stop experience for visitors and residents alike.
  • To provide a forum for the lively, meaningful arts scene which already characterizes Brattleboro.

We plan to guard the Latchis as a precious community resource, so when people think "Arts in Brattleboro" they will naturally think "Latchis."