Concord Church-Turned Condos Wins Preservation Award

CONCORD, N.H. - A project to turn Concord’s Sacred Heart Church into 10 high-end condominiums was one of 11 winners of the annual Preservation Achievement Awards. The award was given out by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance on Tuesday, according to the Concord Monitor.

The church, built in 1934, had an uncertain future after it was put on the market by the Catholic diocese. Three Catholic parishes – Sacred Heart Church, St. Peter’s Church and St. John the Evangelist Church – merged into Christ the King Parish in 2011 to cut costs and deal with a shortage of priests. The new parish consolidated at St. John the Evangelist and sold the other two churches.

Other winners announced Tuesday include:

• Ashland Historical Society for the rescue of the c. 1800 Reuben Whitten House. Whitten is credited with helping feed townspeople in 1816, known as the year without a summer. This was largely a volunteer effort.
• Town of Freedom for the restoration of the Freedom Roller Shed. Strong local effort for a “rare building type” that used to house snow roller and other equipment.
• N.H. Department of Transportation for stewardship of the 1817 New Ipswich High Bridge and compatible new construction. New steel span above oldest and tallest stone arched bridge in New Hampshire in the historic mill village.
• Historic New England for restoration and stewardship of the 1664 Jackson House, Portsmouth, the oldest existing timber-framed structure in New Hampshire.
• Town of Littleton for stewardship of the Littleton Community Center. Major commitment to an 1884 landmark that had been on the “Seven to Save” list of endangered properties.

Courtesy Photo / New Hampshire Preservation Alliance