N.H. Preservation Alliance Receives $20,000 Gift for Gasholder

Timely gift for the Gasholder project adds momentum as advocates work on short- and long-term plans for the dormant landmark property.

Roof and brickwork of the west valve house of the 1888 Concord, NH Gasholder, with lamppost.

When Brian Quinn returned to his hometown of Concord, New Hampshire, to visit family for the holidays, he saw Save Our Gasholder yard signs around the city. They sparked his interest in what was happening with the quirky round building he remembered from childhood.

“When I was growing up here in the 1980s, I passed by the Gasholder thousands of times,” Quinn recalled. “And I learned about it in social studies class at Conant School.” When he heard about the collaborative effort to stabilize the last-of-its-kind building and repurpose the two-acre property, Quinn decided to support the project with a $20,000 grant to the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance through his work at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“The Gasholder was a relic back in the ‘80s,” he said. “I’m excited to see that people from around the community are coming together to find a new life for it.” The gift was a discretionary grant made through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President’s Grant Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation.

The Preservation Alliance led the emergency stabilization effort for the landmark building, assembling a team of nationally recognized engineering and construction experts to complete the work. Completed this past fall, the emergency stabilization work represents a major step toward preserving the vulnerable structure. The Preservation Alliance continues to lead an effort to help owner Liberty, the City of Concord and others position the dormant site for new activity and redevelopment as a catalyst for revitalizing the city’s southern gateway. Here are some examples of other repurposed sites to help you envision the Gasholder’s future. 

“This gift comes at a great time and we’re very grateful for it,” said N.H. Preservation Alliance board chair Byron Champlin. “The fact that the Gasholder made such a lasting impression on Mr. Quinn speaks volumes about how much it means to the Concord community, especially our young people.”

In 2020, Concord Mayor Jim Bouley launched an ad-hoc committee to discuss the Gasholder’s future after Liberty-New Hampshire suggested its demolition. Armed with preliminary feasibility analysis supported in part by the City, the Preservation Alliance has worked with Liberty and the City to develop an incremental, conceptual plan for its preservation and redevelopment. Learn more in the Save Our Gasholder FAQs.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the nation's largest public health philanthropy whose mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in America. The Princeton Area Community Foundation is the philanthropic nexus of central New Jersey, committed to helping the region and its residents – and especially its children – thrive.

In other news, we’d like to acknowledge growing enthusiasm for our Gasholder among gas historians, researchers and industry professionals in the U.S. and Europe. Liberty-New Hampshire president Neil Proudman engaged the audience at our April 13th Concord Historical Society program (Concord’s Gasholder from 1888 to the Future) with stories of his early days as an apprentice in the U.K. gas industry in the late 1970s in Stoke-on-Trent. Proudman was joined on the panel by preservation consultant Elizabeth Durfee Hengen, Milestone Engineering president Frank Lemay, Preservation Alliance executive director Jennifer Goodman, and moderator Althea Barton. The Concord Monitor gave the event front-page coverage. Stay tuned for details and a recording of the program by John Gfroerer, producer of the Gasholder video series.

In addition, calling this “an exciting project and no doubt one to watch for the future,” Russell Thomas, co-editor of The Historic Gas Times, has featured Concord’s Gasholder in Gas International Magazine (pp. 28-29), a U.K. publication read by industry professionals across Europe and beyond. With over 25 years of experience in the field, Thomas is well known for his work researching and understanding the heritage and remediation of manufactured gas plants. Read the article on the Save Our Gasholder website and watch for updates.

Would you like to display a Save Our Gasholder yard sign at your home or business? Email projects@nhpreservation.org or call (603) 224-2281 to receive yours today. Please share our news with your friends and invite them to explore our website at www.saveourgasholder.org.

There’s plenty of work to do in 2023 and beyond, and we’re making real progress with your support. Thank you!