Seeking "ugly" in Concord...

So, we got to thinking, what other shabby chic relics can you find in Concord that might challenge the eyes, but satisfy the soul?

People travel to see unique stuff: giant yarn balls, old factories, and 1950s motels. You would be surprised what makes a bucket list.  So, when The Insider named the former Department of Employment Security Building the ugliest building in New Hampshire, we got to wondering...Is it that ugly and would folks come to see it? 

Frankly, the former Department of Employment Security Building is mid-century modern, the same style as Boston's Prudential Center, and some many cool 1950 and 60s era buildings that make us think of Mad Men. In 1958 the State added the glass and aluminum front, to “express the modular space disposition” according to architectural firm Koehler & Isaak. NHPR profiled the 1958 building some years back. It actually graced the cover of NH Architect back in 1960. It is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and could be a swinging place, if reborn as an apartment building with a martini bar. They thought the old train station was “ugly" too when they tore it down in 1960. How did that end? A very ugly plaza, devoid of sidewalks, trees or style. Makes the Department of Employment Security Building look good!

So, we got to thinking, what other shabby chic relics can you find in Concord that might challenge the eyes, but satisfy the soul?

The Concord Police Station on Green Street is a brick and cement gift from the 1970s — with the sad little court yard next door. But park a 1976 Ford Thunderbird in front of it, and the place is groovy!  Well, from the outside…

But talk of “not a keeper,” and the Stewart Nelson Plaza rises to the top. The1970 ogre is rich in dark brick, cement and a fortified feeling that is hard to love. Not sure what they were thinking, but this was not warm and welcoming.

Down the street is the JFK housing project from the early 1960s. At nine stories, it was Concord's first skyscraper. Three days after President Kennedy’s assassination, the local housing Authority named it JFK, and he might have deserved a bit better?

And on the trend of ugly government buildings is the 1966 Cleveland Erdal building, describe as an example of Brutalism, a mid-century style that emphasized massiveness, an imposing scale and raw concrete. Yup, that is what it is!

But, these are unique relics that one day might come into their own, they-wanted to tear down the JFK TWA Terminal, the Gas Holder, and we can’t advocate for replacing someplace cool with a parking lot. The ugly duckling, after all, became a swan.

So, we got to thinking, what other shabby chic relics can you find in Concord that might challenge the eyes, but satisfy the soul?