As you look across the large field known as Battell Beach, past the dorm buildings, and toward the modern glass and steel of Bi Hall, you may be surprised to see le Château, a decidedly French building in the middle of the New England campus.
The 1925 building, based on the 17th-century Pavillon Henri IV at the Château de Fontainebleau, speaks to the enthusiasm of Middlebury students for learning and language. After a generous donation by a summer Language School student thrilled by her program, the building opened as the country’s first continuous “language house.” Here, students pledged to speak only French, a tradition that continues with Middlebury’s summer Language Pledge.
Today, le Château is the home to the French offices, Betty Ashbury Jones MA ’86 School of French, classrooms, the Grand Salon, and dorm rooms for students. On nice days, it is common to see a Midd student open one of the ornate windows and gaze across Battell Beach.
139 Chateau Rd.
Middlebury, VT 05753