Envisioning the Gasholder’s Future
Repurposed industrial sites around the country may inspire potential future uses for the Concord Gasholder and its 2+ acre site
We invite you to join us June 23rd – 25th during Intown Concord’s 48th Annual Market Days Festival for some fun participation in the Save Our Gasholder campaign. We’ll be holding a raffle, unveiling a working model of the Gasholder, and displaying lots of Gasholder information and N.H. Preservation Alliance gift items. We’re sharing a booth with our friends from the Concord Historical Society, who have supported the campaign from the start. We’re excited for the chance to share Gasholder enthusiasm with you in person!
You can help get the word out by displaying a Save Our Gasholder yard sign, available at our offices at 7 Eagle Square. Please call ahead to make sure we’re not out on the road (603-224-2281). For more sign pickup locations, email ab@nhpreservation.org.
Around the country and across the world, former industrial and historical sites have been protected and transformed into a wide variety of vibrant public resources. As emergency stabilization work continues on the Concord Gasholder with the installation of steel beams and heavy-duty scaffolding to shore up the compromised roof structure, we invite you to join us in imagining possible future uses for the Gasholder and the 2+ acre property on which it sits.
Public forums and committee meetings starting in 2020 revealed a “strong preference for preservation, rather than loss” of this last-of-its kind national landmark and icon of Concord’s industrial history. Preservation offered significant community and economic development opportunities. A 2021 study (conducted by ADG for an ad hoc committee formed by Concord’s Mayor Jim Bouley and the N.H. Preservation Alliance) concluded that the project could be a catalyst for adding value and amenities to the city’s southern gateway if the Gasholder were restored and the property developed using “an approach that celebrates the property as an iconic landmark with unique traits.” The building also serves as a cap for contaminants created during its industrial history.
As Liberty-NH President Neil Proudman noted, “Liberty is proud to play a part in this community-led effort to save the Gasholder. After spending more than a year listening to the community and working with stakeholders, we believe this mutually developed plan is the best option for Liberty’s customers and for the community of Concord. This plan is a win-win – it puts the Gasholder on a pathway for preservation, protects the environment and public health and safety, and will save money for Liberty’s customers compared to any available alternatives.”
A survey of repurposed historical and industrial sites worldwide reveals a broad range of approaches, challenges, and successes which might assist our community to identify potential future uses for the Concord Gasholder and its 2+ acre property. Here are a few examples to explore:
Seattle’s (WA) Gas Works Park is a 19-acre city park with a play barn and kite-flying hill in the shadow of a former gasification plant. The site was acquired by the city for parkland in 1965 and is used for community gatherings.
The 1889 Oberlin (OH) Gasholder Building was donated to the city in 2004 to be repurposed as the Oberlin Underground Railroad Center. A work in progress, the project’s goals are to turn the site into a heritage tourism destination and transportation hub honoring African American heritage and celebrating Oberlin’s rich history in the anti-slavery movement.
The 1856 Northampton (MA) Gasworks, whose original inner workings and gasholder tank have been removed, has been attached to a newer brick building and converted to residential and commercial use after some issues over remediation.
The SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem, PA, is a 9-acre former industrial site dominated by five obsolete Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces, the largest of which are over 230’ tall. Rather than demolish them when they were decommissioned in 1995, the city established a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, applied for grants, and formed a partnership with a nonprofit arts organization and other stakeholders, creating a cultural destination.
Many, many other gasholders, once common sights on skylines and city streets, have been demolished. The c. 1852 Newburyport (MA) Gas Works was razed in 1926. According to History Newburyport, in 1998 then-owner National Grid started remediating the contaminated soil, a process which wasn’t completed until 2011.
Given this background, what is your vision for the Concord Gasholder and surrounding acreage? Is it an important feature of Concord’s skyline, the South End neighborhood, and the city as a whole? Does it add a “cool factor” to the neighborhood, potentially attracting additional desirable businesses like the new barbeque restaurant and brewery? Does it add an exciting dimension to existing residences and businesses like, SanelNAPA Auto Parts, S&W Sports and Evo Rock+Fitness? Are you excited about the Gasholder’s proximity to potential future trails along the river, city parks, the marsh preserve, and the downtown business district?
Can you imagine a restored Gasholder welcoming visitors to a revitalized South End mixed-use neighborhood generating jobs, housing, community vitality, and new property tax revenues? Do you envision the Gasholder as a tangible reminder of 19th century fossil-energy innovation that sparks interest in energy conservation and greener forms of energy production?
We always welcome your thoughts and perspectives. Please reach out anytime by phone (603-224-2281) or email (Althea Barton - ab@nhpreservation.org). And don’t forget to order your yard sign and visit the booth we’ll be sharing with the Concord Historical Society during Intown Concord’s 48th Annual Market Days Festival, June 23rd – 25th.