This Christmas Eve, revelers on Main Street will be treated to a light display along the edge of The Hotel Concord’s roof, a festive sight that could become a regular part of holidays in downtown Concord.
The Hotel Concord at 11 S. Main St., will try out a static, multicolored LED display along the rooftop of Capital Commons on Dec. 24, with glowing red and green lights illuminating downtown.
Lights on top of the Capitol Commons building already change color to signal different weather events, like red for incoming storms and a caution tape pattern for a snow emergency, according to The Hotel Concord’s website. The hotel also takes special requests for light colors via a web form.
Other holidays might get a multicolored LED treatment if the hotel gets permission from the city. Although the rooftop is regularly lit up in a single color, approval for more than one color must go through the Architectural Design Review committee, a subcommittee that issues recommendations to the Planning Board on signage, lighting and building design. The advisory subcommittee also reviews major site plans and building permits within performance districts.
“Their original approval was for every night, there could be one static color, so now they’re looking to do multiple colors, static, with no fading or moving or blinking,” said Senior Planner Sam Durfee. Friday’s lights are intended as a trial run to give Concord residents an idea of how future displays might appear.
“It’s basically getting to test it out before ADR makes a recommendation to the Planning Board to allow multiple colors,” Durfee said. A proposal for the newly colorful light display could go before the board in February.
Community members who have feedback on the lights can reach out to the Concord Planning Division at planning@concordnh.gov or by calling 603-225-8515.