1888 Gasholder History Informs Emergency Stabilization Process
With the future still uncertain, on-going stabilization work brings signs of neighborhood revitalization
A monumental anchor of the South End neighborhood, the Concord Gasholder sits on over 2 acres of mostly open land. Generations of people who grew up nearby remember walking or riding bikes to the circular building, a community landmark. Structural scaffolding is currently being erected inside the building to support the damaged roof and prevent catastrophic collapse.
Stabilization efforts continue on the historic gasholder building in Concord, NH.
This critical effort is made possible by a partnership between the N.H. Preservation Alliance, the City of Concord, and property owner Liberty Utilities. For this first phase of work, Liberty Utilities will match funds from an anonymous donor that were committed to the Preservation Alliance to challenge others to invest in the landmark’s rescue and revitalization. The final use of the property will determine the overall costs. Stabilization work will provide time for additional planning and fundraising toward a future use of the property that would allow for public enjoyment and be a catalyst of commercial or institutional development along the City’s southern gateway corridor.
Liberty is in the process of developing its overall commitment to the project, and the Preservation Alliance has welcomed pledges of interest from individuals and businesses as the final budget is developed.
As emergency stabilization work continues, videographer John Gfroerer is busy producing the next video in the series for the Preservation Alliance and the Concord Historical Society. In the first video (watch here), Tom Evarts of Yankee Steeplejack Company takes us on site to describe the emergency stabilization process (3 minutes). The series documents the construction process, industrial history, and original functioning of the Gasholder with an eye toward preserving and revitalizing this nationally significant and highly vulnerable structure.
The 1888 construction of the Gasholder is well documented thanks to the National Register of Historic Places nomination prepared by Public Archaeology Laboratory for the City of Concord and its Heritage Commission in 2017, and other invaluable archives. The nomination was funded by a Certified Local Government grant award from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. A look at the historical record reveals that the Gasholder was constructed with a mix of local and regional materials and expertise.
The brick-walled, slate-roofed building we see is officially known as the Gasholder House. It contains the riveted, inverted gasholder tank which rests like a straight-walled bell in a below-ground masonry water tank. When in operation, the gasholder tank would rise and fall as gas was pumped in or dispersed for use around the city. The gas was held in the tank by the underground pool of water in which it floated, buoyed by the gas. The gasholder tank held up to 120,000 cubic feet of gas when it was in service.
The design and structure of the Gasholder were typical of the period, though today it is believed to be the last intact gasholder house and tank with its inner workings still in place in the U.S., providing a rare example of industrial history and ingenuity.
The 550,000 bricks used to construct the Gasholder House were made locally at the Samuel Holt brickyard which stood in the town of Bow, NH where Grappone Automotive Group is today. According to a 1994 article on small-scale brickmaking by former N.H. Architectural Historian James Garvin for The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology, brickmaking in New Hampshire began in the 1600s, and the state’s economy profited considerably from the brickmaking industry. “By 1880,” Garvin writes, “with a fully developed market that included neighboring states as well as home consumption, New Hampshire produced nearly 48 million common bricks, and another 6 million specialty bricks, each year.” New Hampshire’s river-valley clays are “varved clays that were deposited in seasonal layers in glacial freshwater lakes that once filled the present-day Merrimack” valley, according to Garvin. It is likely that the Samuel Holt brickyard used these river-valley clays to manufacture the bricks that were used to construct the Concord Gasholder.
Some of the Gasholder’s carpentry work was supplied by local contractor Eben B. Hutchinson (1831-1909), a builder and lumber dealer whose office and manufacturing plant were right next door at the Holt Brothers Manufacturing Company. That building is now owned and occupied by Sanel NAPA Auto Parts. E.B. Hutchinson also built and supplied woodwork for the 1882 S. S. Kimball House at 266 North Main Street, now known as Kimball Jenkins. The local firm of W. M. Darrah installed the Gasholder’s slate roof shingles. W. C. Whyte of New York City constructed the brick Gasholder House, and Laurel Iron Works of Philadelphia fabricated the gasholder tank. These latter two companies specialized in gasholder design and construction.
Since emergency stabilization began this spring, two exciting new businesses have opened just a few doors down from the Gasholder. You can support the South End neighborhood revitalization by stopping in for BBQ favorites at Smokeshow BBQ and Feathered Friend Brewing Company, all within sight of the iconic Concord Gasholder.
The N.H. Preservation Alliance listed the Gasholder on its Seven to Save list in 2020 because of its national significance and redevelopment potential after Liberty announced plans to seek a demolition permit due to the imminent risk of collapse. The Preservation Alliance has hosted public forums, helped support redevelopment analysis and nominated the building for historic preservation grants.
The statewide non-profit organization strengthens communities and stimulates local economies by encouraging the protection and revival of historic buildings and places. The Preservation Alliance assists approximately 100 landmark community projects each year and has built a toolbox of resources including direct service, planning funds, incentives and stewardship strategies for property owners and investors to help accelerate preservation activities. For the latest Gasholder updates, sign up for the Gasholder e-newsletter , or Like/Follow the N.H. Preservation Alliance on Facebook. Send us your ideas, concerns, and suggestions by email or call us at (603) 224-2281.