Wender·Vista
Hubbard Park Tower Montpelier
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileVermont
above downtown Montpelier

Hubbard Park Tower Montpelier

— — a small stone crown above the smallest capital.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A 54-foot stone tower in the woods above Montpelier, the smallest state capital in the country. The park was given to the city by John E. Hubbard in 1899; the tower came later, built in stages through the 1910s and 1920s. From the top, the gold dome of the State House sits below, and the Green Mountains run off to the south.

from the studio
Hubbard Park Tower Montpelier
— bring it home

Hubbard Park Tower Montpelier, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Hubbard Park Tower Montpelier

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Hubbard Park covers 194 acres of forested hills directly above downtown Montpelier, the seat of Vermont state government. The observation tower stands roughly 54 feet tall, built of local fieldstone in stages between 1915 and 1930. The land was bequeathed to the city in 1899 by John E. Hubbard, a Montpelier banker, with the stipulation that it remain forever a park. Trails connect the tower to the North Branch Nature Center and to the State House lawn below.

— informed by Wikipedia, City of Montpelier
— the visit

The park is open through every season, free of charge, with multiple trailheads from Hubbard Park Drive and from Winter Street. The tower itself stays open during daylight hours from late spring through autumn, and is reached by a moderate uphill walk of about a half mile from the lower lot. In winter, the access road closes to cars and becomes a cross-country ski route maintained by the volunteer Friends of Hubbard Park group.

— informed by City of Montpelier
— the air

From the top of the tower the view runs across the Worcester Range to the north, the Northfield Mountains to the south, and on clear days east toward the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The State House dome, gilded in 23-karat gold leaf, sits directly below the tower on the valley floor. Camel's Hump and Mount Mansfield are both visible to the west, and the Winooski River cuts the valley in two.

— informed by Vermont State House
— where
United States · Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont
— within
Hubbard Park
— position
44.2700° N · 72.5780° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km S
Vermont State House
capitol building
2 km N
North Branch Nature Center
nature preserve
1 km S
Vermont Historical Society Museum
history museum
1 km S
Downtown Montpelier
village center
N
Hubbard Park Tower Montpelier
Vermont State House
North Branch Nature Center
Vermont Historical Society Museum
Downtown Montpelier
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Hubbard Park Tower Montpelier — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The observation tower stands roughly 54 feet of local fieldstone, built in stages between 1915 and 1930. From the top, the State House dome sits in the valley below and the Green Mountains run south.

John E. Hubbard, a Montpelier banker, bequeathed about 125 acres to the city in 1899, with the condition the land remain forever a public park. Later additions brought the park to roughly 194 acres.

Yes. The tower is open during daylight hours from late spring through autumn, free of charge. A moderate half-mile walk from the lower parking lot reaches the base.

Camel's Hump and Mount Mansfield stand to the west, the Worcester Range north, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire east. The gilded State House dome sits in the valley directly below.

Yes. With a population of about 8,000, Montpelier is the least populous state capital in the United States, and one of the only ones without a McDonald's. Hubbard Park sits in the wooded hills directly above downtown.

Construction began in 1915 and was completed in stages through 1930, using local fieldstone gathered on the park grounds. The work was done largely by Italian stonemasons hired by the city.

— about the piece in your home

The tower is a quiet local landmark, and generations of Montpelier residents have walked up to it. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well for someone with ties to the capital.

The piece reads well in a Green Mountain rustic, library-traditional, or warm-modern New England setting. Its stone-and-forest palette sits comfortably beside oak, walnut, and aged brass.

The piece fits the current cabin-modern and lodge-revival mood. Fieldstone textures and wooded valleys read warm against linen and wool, and it also pairs cleanly with a more restrained Scandi-modern room.

For a standard sofa, a single Large reads well centred above the back cushions. A 4-tile Mural fills a longer wall, and a 9-tile Mural anchors a larger great room.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and hold up to humidity and splash. The Glossy finish is reserved for wall pieces in drier rooms.

Microfibre cloth and water. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so the image cannot lift or fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece comes from Reid Wender's eye and is hand-finished in our Knoxville studio. We do not license, resell, or reproduce work from outside artists.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.