Sept. 6 meeting to discuss whether to save railroad signal building

The future of the dilapidated railroad signal building in south Concord will be taken up Sept. 6 in the City Council chambers.

The Demolition Review Committee members are scheduled to discuss their opinion on whether the building should be saved in a public meeting starting at 6 p.m. The three-person group has been reviewing the structure since its new owner, CSX railroad, asked the Code Enforcement department for permission to tear it down.

The 800-square-foot building has not been used in more than a decade and has been broken into over the years and covered with graffiti.

Built more than a century ago, the building tucked between active train lines and the Water Street bridge handled signals for Concord’s huge Boston & Maine rail yards, when Concord was a hub for freight and passenger train service in northern New England. It ended that service in 1980, and from 1985 to around 2010 served as headquarters for the independent Southern New England railroad. It has been empty since.

It may be the only such building left in the state.

Contractors working for CSX have removed trash and checked for hazardous materials such as asbestos. The company also plans to tear down a nearby warehouse that was once used by the railroad, which has no obvious historical value.

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