Historic Concord Signal Tower Demolished Despite Preservation Push
The historic Boston & Maine Signal Tower that stood near the Water Street Bridge in Concord is no more. Demolition crews razed the structure during the week of Aug. 18,…
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The historic Boston & Maine Signal Tower that stood near the Water Street Bridge in Concord is no more. Demolition crews razed the structure during the week of Aug. 18, despite the object's placement on New Hampshire's Seven to Save list.
The signal tower was once used to control railroad traffic throughout the Concord region.
According to a Concord Monitor report, the former tower's owner, CSX Corp., said the demolition was for safety reasons.
“The structure has been vacant for approximately 15 years and had become a site for unauthorized entry and encampment,” CSX spokeswoman Sheriee Bowman said in a statement to the Concord Monitor. “A recent fire underscored the risks it posed to both the public and our employees. While we respect the interest of historic preservationists, our highest priority is ensuring safety and maintaining secure operations.”
In 2024, the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance identified the tower as one of the properties around the state that was in danger of being demolished.
The Alliance had hoped that the building could be rehabilitated into an exhibit, office, or meeting space that would add further refinement to the development in Concord's South End.
According to the Concord Monitor's report, the 800-square-foot brick structure was constructed before World War I. The Boston & Maine (B&M) Railroad company built the structure as part of its oversized Concord rail yard, which served as one of New England's major rail hubs for close to 100 years.
The building operated as the yard's signal tower until approximately 1980. It then briefly became the headquarters of New England Southern, a small local railroad firm. Occupation of the signal tower ended after Pan Am Railways assumed operations for much of B&M's freight division.
In 2022, CSX bought Pan Am. At the time, CSX had planned to demolish the signal tower until Concord's Demolition Review Committee stated that the building was historically significant and should be preserved.
