The signature green glass that was the shining exterior detail of the mid-century architecture of the former Concord Group insurance building won’t be coming back.
The city of Concord wanted its new police station to be practically bulletproof, including its office spaces, which meant the teal glass needed to be removed and replaced for both safety and efficiency.
One pitch for the city to buy the property was a chance to revive and preserve a historic building near the city’s downtown. At this point in the construction process, the former insurance building has been stripped down to its bones.
Plans call for an addition on the looker’s-left side of the building to nearly double its size, housing the more secure department usages, including its garage and sally port. The previous office building will be split up into more administrative uses for the department and offices for the city prosecutor. Plans are for the Concord Police to move in by the fall of 2027.
Renderings show that the second floor of the building will replace the traditional windows. The new glass will be blue but follow a similar geometric design as the original, per renderings. It will also be better sealed and insulated, improving the building’s energy efficiency, designers have said. Another reason to replace the glass was to add windows treated with a ballistic coating to improve the building’s security against gunfire.
The city purchased the 38,000 square-foot building from developer Steve Duprey in 2023 for $4.1 million. The City Council later approved plans to nearly double the size of the facility to 70,000 square feet, which is nearly triple the size of the current station on Green Street.
The total project cost, including purchase, design and construction, is expected to be almost $49 million.
