CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Emergency work will be done this year to save a 133-year-old red-brick coal gasholder building in Concord from collapsing and put it on the path for preservation, according to an agreement between the city, the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, and Liberty Utilities.
The dormant building, named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, is the last of 14 known gasholders in the nation that still has its inner workings intact, according to the alliance and city officials.
Its owner, Liberty Utilities, has been working with the city and alliance on options for preservation and development, rather than demolition. Right now, there are immediate structural concerns.
In the agreement announced this week, contractors will “conduct emergency stabilization,” according to a news release.
“The plan will secure a broken compression ring at the base of the roof so the building won’t collapse and address other vulnerabilities in the roof and wall to keep water out and avoid deterioration,” said Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the alliance. ”The plan will avert the near-term risk of total loss from collapse or demolition, and buys time to secure additional funding and uses for the property.”
Liberty Utilities will match funds from an anonymous donor who had pledged $500,000 to help the building.
The round building with a cupola atop its conical roof was built in 1888 when coal gas was a major source of light and heat. It was last used in 1953.
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