Woodstock’s historic Elm Street Press Building, located at 24 Elm Street, has been sold, former owner Don Bourdon confirmed to the Standard last week.
The building sale was completed on Jan. 13. “The property was sold, and it was sold to Zöe Zillian,” owner of Woodstock’s Au Comptoir cocktail bar, said Bourdon. Zillian was not available for comment.
Liz Schwenk, who with her husband Spencer has co-owned The Prince & The Pauper (P&P) restaurant since 2019, currently leases the restaurant’s space in the building. She confirmed to the Standard this week that the new owners have asked them to vacate the premises by April 1 when their lease expires and will not be renewed.
Liz Schwenk told the Standard, “It sounds funny, but we bought it with the goal of not changing anything,” noting that her goal for the last seven years was one of consistency and longevity — in terms of atmosphere, menus, and overall dining experience — and continuing the legacy of the local institution, which was founded in 1974. As a former, loyal customer of P&P herself, Schwenk said she was well-positioned to carry the torch.
When asked what comes next for The Prince & The Pauper, Schwenk was honest: “I don’t know.” That’s a sentence she said is hard to say, as someone who loves being in the hospitality business and is used to always having an answer or a solution for a need. “We’re in the transition together,” said Schwenk of her and her staff, “we’re a team together.” While she does not yet know the future of the business past April 1, she says she has been open to ideas from her staff about next steps. “A lot of ideas have gone through my head, and some of the staff and I have talked about different options out loud, because I think it’s good to have that team conversation, too.”
According to a Historic District nomination form shared by the Woodstock History Center, the building was constructed in 1820 by Charles Dana, who operated a dry goods store there until 1907. Dana’s grandsons Edward Cushing and Joseph Loomis, and later Frank Teagle, operated the Elm Tree Press there. The building was eventually sold to Paul Bourdon.
For more on this, please see our Jan. 29 edition of the Vermont Standard.
