Woman's Club of Concord Receives 1772 Foundation Grant through the NH Preservation Alliance

The Woman’s Club of Concord (WCC) is pleased to announce the launch of its second major historic building preservation project – restoration of the turn-of-the-century Chamberlain House Garage and Butler’s Office. This project was funded in part by a grant made possible from the 1772 Foundation in cooperation with the NH Preservation Alliance. After a multi-year project focusing on exterior repairs to the National Register-listed 1886 Chamberlain House, the Woman’s Club has turned its efforts to the early 20th century garage. The garage is important to the integrity of the National Register property in downtown Concord; it is one of the earliest purpose-built auto garages in Concord and its rental space offers an important revenue stream for the operating budget of the Woman’s Club property. The building retains most of its character-defining features including the original doors of the three garage bays and the slate roof. The $5,000 1772 Foundation grant will help the WCC address the roof and exterior repairs to this early 20th century garage – a $22,000 project.

The WCC has been working since 2011 on restoration and preservation of the historic Chamberlain House campus on Pleasant Street in Concord. The Woman’s Club began with a roof restoration project with the help of a Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) grant and with assistance from Concord Rotary and the Madelaine Von Webber Trust. This project was followed by painting projects, furnace replacement and a window restoration project funded by the 1772 Foundation in cooperation with the NH Preservation Alliance. The Woman’s Club raised private funding for the match for these grants through several years of October on-line auctions where hundreds of members of the public donated to the effort. The project is expected to be completed this fall.