An iconic landmark on the waterfront of Shelburne’s historic district, this large Greek Revival building is set directly on Dock St., facing south and spanning the length of the block from Ann Street to Maiden Lane. Known locally as the Cox Warehouse, it was built for merchant and shipbuilder George A. Cox in 1902 and acquired by the Shelburne Historical Society in 1986. The building, which is a municipally registered heritage property, is 160 ft / 49 m long, has three storeys and sits on a granite block foundation. The structure’s exterior still boasts many of its original architectural features, including return eaves with ornamental brackets, corner boards, decorative moulded panels flanking the south entry and doric columns supporting the front entablature. Many of the original oak beams and pine planks used in the interior construction of the building are still exposed and in pristine condition on the second and third floors of the building. The roof has three gabled dormers on the east side and two on the west side, with a large central dormer over an entrance on the west side. A steeple which was added to the roofline in 1994 for the film production of The Scarlet Letter is still in place and accessible from the third floor. The first floor of the building is leased by Shelburne Physiotherapy, a local business and long-term tenant. The second floor holds a seasonal loft apartment and artefact storage for the Shelburne County Museum. The third floor or attic of the building, which has an extensive steel cable bracing system, is undeveloped.
