The past, present and future of Concord’s gasholder building will be the topic of a presentation Thursday as supporters look for ways to preserve the iconic building.
The presentation sponsored by the Concord Historical Society will cover the history of “manufactured gas” made from coal, the predecessor to natural gas that the gasholder was built to store and distribute, as well as recent preservation efforts of the building and possible future uses for the 2-acre site on North Main Street.
Among those scheduled to attend is Neil Proudman, president of Liberty-New Hampshire, which owns the building and the site.
Roughly $600,000 worth of stabilization work was completed last fall, including closing a hole punched in the roof by a falling tree in 1994, repairing the rotting tension ring that runs around the inside of the building, and upgrading interior scaffolding. The round brick building is no longer in danger of collapsing but its future remains uncertain.
A 2021 consultant’s report lists various options for the building and property, including its use as an educational and recreational site to anchor the neighborhood, with estimated costs ranging from $1.5 million up to many millions, depending on what was done.
Also scheduled for the presentation is New Hampshire Preservation Alliance executive director Jennifer Goodman and Special Projects consultant Althea Barton. The program will include a short video, new and historic images, and public discussion.
It will start at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Kimball Jenkins Carriage House, 266 N. Main St.