Campus Map & Facilities

ACAPA occupies a 42-acre campus on the eastern bluff above the Aldine River in Eastbridge, Vermont. The campus sits at an elevation of approximately 680 feet, affording sweeping views westward over the river valley and toward the Green Mountains beyond. The grounds include forested walking paths along the bluff edge, open lawns used for outdoor performances and instruction, and a central quad linking the college's primary academic and arts buildings. The campus is fully accessible and is served by the Eastbridge municipal bus lines 4 and 7.

Founded in 1947 by sculptor and educator Elspeth Morrow and conductor Theodore Hargrove, the college's original buildings — Hargrove Hall and the early annex of the Visual Arts Building — were constructed on the site of a former riverside mill estate. Much of the original stone fieldwork and perimeter fencing from that period remains intact today. All buildings are identified on campus maps and signage by their two-letter code.

Visitor Parking: Visitor lots are located off Bluff Road (Lot V-1) and behind Aldine House (Lot V-2). A campus shuttle runs every 20 minutes on weekdays, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Pedestrian access from the River Walk trail connects at the south end of South Lawn.

ASCII Campus Map

Schematic only — not to scale. North is up. The Aldine River runs along the western bluff edge. Bluff Road enters campus from the north; River Walk path approaches from the south. 

 NORTH
   ^
   |
   |   [Bluff Road / Main Entrance]
   |           |
   +----------------------------------------------+
   |           |  ACAPA CAMPUS (42 acres)          |
   |      [Parking Lot V-1]                        |
   |           |                                   |
   |   +-------+--------+   +-------------------+ |
   |   |  Hargrove Hall |   |  Hartwell Library | |
   |   |      (HH)      |   |       (HL)        | |
   |   +----------------+   +-------------------+ |
   |           |                     |             |
   |        [CENTRAL QUAD]           |             |
   |           |                     |             |
   |   +-------+-------+   +-------------------+  |
   |   | Hargrove Pav. |   | Visual Arts Bldg  |  |
   |   | (HP) 480 seats|   |       (VA)        |  |
   |   +---------------+   +-------------------+  |
   |           |                     |             |
   |   +-------+-------+   +-------------------+  |
   |   | Morrow Gallery|   | Crandall Cinema   |  |
   |   |      (MG)     |   |  (CC) 220 seats   |  |
   |   +---------------+   +-------------------+  |
   |           |                                   |
   |      [South Lawn / Amphitheater (SLA)]        |
   |           |                                   |
   |   +-------+-------+   [Parking Lot V-2]       |
   |   |  Aldine House |                            |
   |   |    (AH) Dorms |                            |
   |   +---------------+                            |
   |           |                                   |
   |       [River Walk Trail / Aldine Bluff]        |
   +----------------------------------------------+
                        |
                  Aldine River -->  (west)

Buildings & Facilities — Quick Reference

Code Building Name Primary Use Year Built Sq. Ft. (approx.)
HP Hargrove Pavilion Performing Arts Center 1961 (renovated 2004) 38,000
MG Morrow Gallery Fine Art Collection & Exhibition 1972 (expanded 1998) 22,500
CC Crandall Cinema Film Screening & Studies 1968 (renovated 2011) 9,200
HL Hartwell Library Library & Archive 1954 (expanded 1983, 2000) 28,000
HH Hargrove Hall Classrooms & Administration 1947 (original building) 31,000
AH Aldine House Residential Dormitory 1959 (renovated 2016) 46,000
SLA South Lawn Amphitheater Outdoor Performance & Events 1978 (reconstructed 2009) outdoor
VA Visual Arts Building Studios & Critique Spaces 1947 (annex); 1991 (current) 24,000

Building Descriptions

HP Hargrove Pavilion

The Hargrove Pavilion is ACAPA's primary performing arts center, named in honor of co-founder Theodore Hargrove. The building houses the 480-seat Hargrove Concert Hall, whose acoustics were redesigned during the 2004 renovation by Vermont acoustic firm Aldine Sound Associates. The hall is used for orchestral concerts, opera and musical theatre productions, visiting artist recitals, and commencement ceremonies. The stage is 62 feet wide with full fly tower and orchestra pit accommodating up to 48 musicians.

In addition to the main hall, the Pavilion contains:

  • Three dance studios (Dance Studios A, B, and C) with sprung hardwood floors, mirrored walls, and barres; Studio C includes a black-box performance configuration for intimate dance works (seating up to 60).
  • Studio One Recording — a professional-grade, 24-track analog/digital recording studio used by Music Production and Audio Arts students; features a Neve 8078 console (restored), isolation booth, and live tracking room. Accessible by booking through the Music Technology office.
  • Two rehearsal halls (200 and 120 sq. ft.), instrument storage, costume and prop shop, and green room with dressing suites.
  • The Hargrove Lobby, used as a gallery space for rotating student and alumni exhibitions in visual media.

MG Morrow Gallery

The Morrow Gallery houses ACAPA's permanent fine art collection of approximately 1,400 works, assembled since 1947 through faculty donation, alumni gift, and institutional acquisition. The collection spans painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, ceramic arts, and fiber arts, with particular depth in post-war American figurative work and contemporary New England printmaking.

The gallery comprises six permanent collection rooms on two floors, plus two rotating exhibition galleries on the ground level. The Morrow Rotunda — added in the 1998 expansion — serves as the building's main entrance and is frequently used for receptions, thesis defenses, and alumni events. The gallery also maintains a Study Collection Room, where works not on public display may be viewed by appointment for academic research. The gallery is open to the public Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed Mondays and college holidays).

Notable holdings include works by Elspeth Morrow (1912–1991), the college's co-founder and sculptor, as well as a significant collection of 19th-century Vermont landscape paintings and a growing archive of student thesis works dating to 1949.

CC Crandall Cinema

Named for benefactor and filmmaker Ruth Crandall, BFA '58, the Crandall Cinema is a dedicated screening and film studies facility. The main screening room seats 220 persons in a stadium-configured auditorium with sight lines optimized for both large-format projection and stage presentations. The projection booth supports 35mm and 16mm film as well as 4K digital projection (DCP) and Blu-ray. Sound is a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 configuration installed in 2011 and upgraded in 2019.

Additional Cinema spaces include a small seminar screening room (40 seats), an editing suite cluster with 12 Avid/DaVinci workstations, a color grading suite, and an audio sweetening room. The Crandall hosts the annual ACAPA Film Festival each April, as well as weekly public film series through the semester.

HL Hartwell Library

The Hartwell Library is ACAPA's central academic library and archive. The collection comprises approximately 180,000 volumes, including monographs, scores, scripts, exhibition catalogues, and artist books, as well as access to over 140 licensed electronic databases. Special collections include the Morrow-Hargrove Archive (founding documents, correspondence, and early student work), the Vermont Arts Periodicals Collection (complete runs of 38 regional publications, 1880–present), and the Aldine River Photographic Survey (1902–1970).

The library provides 280 reader seats across three floors, 14 private study carrels, 6 group study rooms, a media listening/viewing room with 8 stations, and a dedicated score-study room. Wireless access is available throughout. The library is open Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–midnight, Friday 8 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–midnight during the academic year.

HH Hargrove Hall

Hargrove Hall is the oldest structure on campus and the administrative heart of the college. Constructed in 1947 from local granite and timber, the building retains much of its original character — including the vaulted central corridor, original hardwood floors, and the preserved Founders' Alcove, where portraits of Elspeth Morrow and Theodore Hargrove hang alongside the original ACAPA charter.

The building contains: the Office of the President; offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, and Student Affairs; 18 general-purpose classrooms (capacity 12–35); 4 seminar rooms; the Eastbridge Faculty Lounge; and the college mailroom. The Ars et Anima Lecture Theatre (capacity 110) occupies the east wing and is used for public lectures, visiting scholar talks, and larger academic seminars. Free campus Wi-Fi and printing are available throughout the building.

AH Aldine House

Aldine House is ACAPA's primary residential facility, housing approximately 340 students across four wings (North, South, East, and River). The 2016 renovation updated all mechanical systems, added accessible rooms on each floor, and installed a new student commons on the ground level with kitchen, laundry, and common lounge. The River Wing faces the Aldine bluff and features rooms with views over the river valley.

Aldine House contains: single, double, and triple occupancy rooms; the Aldine Dining Hall (200-seat capacity, open 7 a.m.–9 p.m.); a 24-hour practice room cluster (8 rooms, soundproofed, instrument reservations via the campus portal); a small fitness center; and the Bluff Commons lounge, which hosts regular student events and pop-up exhibitions. All residential students are assigned to Aldine House unless participating in the off-campus housing program.

SLA South Lawn Amphitheater

The South Lawn Amphitheater is an open-air performance venue set into the natural grade at the southern end of the campus, with the Aldine River bluff as a backdrop. The semicircular grass seating area accommodates approximately 600 seated (on lawn benches) or up to 1,200 standing. The stage is 40 feet wide with a permanent covered canopy, integrated PA system, and weatherproof lighting rig. Power and lighting connections are available for film projection and special events.

The South Lawn is in use for outdoor concerts, graduation, the Spring Arts Festival, and informal student performances throughout the academic year. The space may be reserved by student organizations through the Student Life Office. The area surrounding the amphitheater includes the Morrow Sculpture Path, a 0.4-mile trail lined with 22 outdoor sculptures from the college's permanent collection and alumni gifts.

VA Visual Arts Building

The current Visual Arts Building (constructed 1991 on the footprint of the 1947 annex) houses all studio-based visual arts instruction. The three-story structure contains:

  • Painting studios (3 large, 2 small) with north-facing skylights
  • Printmaking studio — etching, screen printing, letterpress, relief; 6 presses
  • Ceramics studio — 14 kick wheels, 6 electric wheels, two gas kilns, one wood-fire kiln (outdoor)
  • Sculpture yard and fabrication shop — welding, casting, woodworking, metalwork
  • Photography darkrooms (2 rooms, 18 enlarger stations) and a digital photography lab (20 stations)
  • Fiber arts studio — 12 floor looms, dyeing facilities
  • 3 critique rooms with moveable walls for flexible installation work
  • Student supply room and materials library

The building opens onto the central quad and connects via a covered walkway to the Morrow Gallery.

Additional Campus Spaces

Bluff Walk Trail
0.7-mile perimeter path along the eastern bluff edge; connects South Lawn to the north parking area and the River Walk trailhead below. Open dawn to dusk.
East Garden
Formal garden adjacent to Hargrove Hall; includes a sundial donated by the class of 1967 and seating areas used for outdoor critique and informal performance.
Maintenance & Operations Building
Located at the northeast corner of campus (behind Hargrove Hall); houses Physical Plant offices, campus security dispatch, and utilities management.
Greenhouse
Small educational greenhouse adjacent to the Visual Arts Building, used by Scenic Design and Environmental Arts students for plant materials and natural dye cultivation.

Building Hours (Academic Year — Standard)

Building Mon–Thu Friday Saturday Sunday Notes
Hargrove Pavilion (HP) 7:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. 7:00 a.m.–midnight 9:00 a.m.–midnight 10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Performance nights: building closes 30 min. after final curtain
Morrow Gallery (MG) 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Closed Study Collection by appt. (x4420)
Crandall Cinema (CC) 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. Editing suites accessible 24/7 with student ID
Hartwell Library (HL) 8:00 a.m.–midnight 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m.–midnight Special Collections: Mon–Fri 10 a.m.–4 p.m. only
Hargrove Hall (HH) 7:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m. 7:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Closed Admin offices: Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Aldine House (AH) 24 hours (residents only after 10:00 p.m.) Guest access via sign-in at reception
Visual Arts Building (VA) 8:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. 8:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Kiln room access by reservation only
South Lawn Amphitheater (SLA) Dawn to dusk (event nights: per schedule) Reservation required for amplified events

Accessibility

All buildings on the ACAPA campus are accessible in compliance with ADA and Vermont state accessibility standards. Accessible entrances are marked on building signage and on the printed campus map (available at the Campus Security Office and Hargrove Hall reception). Elevator access is available in Hargrove Pavilion, Hartwell Library, Hargrove Hall (west lift), Morrow Gallery, Crandall Cinema, and Aldine House. The Visual Arts Building is fully single-level accessible on floors 1 and 2 via the south entrance lift.

For mobility accommodation assistance, contact the Office of Student Affairs at access@acapa.edu or ext. 4100. TTY/hearing loop systems are installed in Hargrove Concert Hall, the Ars et Anima Lecture Theatre, and Crandall Cinema.

Campus Safety & Services

Getting to Campus

ACAPA is located at 14 Hargrove Drive, Eastbridge, Vermont 05401, on the eastern bluff above the Aldine River. From I-91 North, take Exit 14 (Eastbridge), then follow Route 14 West for 3.2 miles to Bluff Road; turn right, proceed 0.8 miles to the main campus entrance. From Eastbridge town center, take River Street north to Bluff Road (approximately 1.4 miles).

A printable campus map (PDF) is available from the Campus Security Office and Hargrove Hall reception. Interactive wayfinding kiosks are located at the main campus entrance and the Central Quad.

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