Our Historic Home

The Lumière story at 180 Flynn Avenue

Before it became a place to share beer and food, our Burlington home helped make photographic history. Built in the early 1900s for the Lumière North American Company, this factory connects Vermont to Auguste and Louis Lumière, pioneers of cinema and color photography.

A Factory for Images

Hugo’s research dates construction to 1901–02. The building was designed for photographic manufacturing, with lightproof rooms, filtered air and carefully controlled conditions. Its surviving structure offers a tangible connection to Burlington’s industrial past and to the Lumière family’s North American operation.

Vermont Brickwork

Local craftsmanship was part of that story. Seven Days, reporting on Hugo’s research, identifies Drury Brick and Tile as the company responsible for the factory’s brickwork.

Explore the factory’s history in Seven Days.

For co-founder Joe Lemnah, the brickwork carries a personal connection: he remembers living beside the old brick factory in his hometown of Essex Junction.

Auguste and Louis Lumière. Photographer unknown; photograph published by 1925. Via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain in the United States.
Auguste and Louis Lumière. Photographer unknown; photograph published by 1925. Via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain in the United States.

Light, Color & Film

Two views of a Lumière Cinématographe, 1896. Photographer unknown. Thomas Edison National Historical Park / National Park Service. Public domain.
Two views of a Lumière Cinématographe, 1896. Photographer unknown. Thomas Edison National Historical Park / National Park Service. Public domain.

The Lumières helped shape early cinema through their Cinématographe and films in the 1890s.

Still life, 1912–20, photographed using the Lumière Autochrome process. Photographer unknown; collected by Florence Taylor. State Library of New South Wales, ON 136.
Still life, 1912–20, photographed using the Lumière Autochrome process. Photographer unknown; collected by Florence Taylor. State Library of New South Wales, ON 136.

Their Autochrome process, patented in 1903 and commercially introduced in 1907, made color photography more practical. It used a mosaic of dyed starch grains on glass plates to record color.

Learn about Autochrome at Institut Lumière and watch the Vermont Historical Society’s visit to the factory.

A Living Connection

Café Lumière

In March 2022, we celebrated this history with Café Lumière, a beer dinner inspired by Lyon, France. The evening brought together six courses, Burlington Beer Co. pairings, stories about the Lumières and live music from Trio Gusto.

Look back at Café Lumière.

A place setting at Café Lumière, March 2022.
A place setting at Café Lumière, March 2022.
Tables set for Café Lumière beneath the Lumière display, March 2022.
Tables set for Café Lumière beneath the Lumière display, March 2022.

Made Here Film Festival

Lumière Hall also welcomes contemporary filmmaking through the Made Here Film Festival. Presented by the Vermont International Film Festival in partnership with Vermont Public, the festival celebrates filmmakers from New England and Québec. Its 2026 edition took place here April 23–26.

Explore Made Here Film Festival.

Visit the Building

Today, the old factory is home to our Flynn Avenue taproom, kitchen and gathering spaces. Come spend some time in a building with a remarkable story.

Plan your visitExplore our event spacesSee upcoming events