2022 Preservation Achievement Award Winner: Woman's Club of Concord

The N.H. Preservation Alliance is pleased to announce our 2022 Preservation Achievement Award winner, the Woman’s Club of Concord, for rehabilitation and stewardship of the Chamberlin House in Concord, with support from Ironwood Restoration, LLC, Pendlebury Masonry, Elizabeth Durfee Hengen, Preservation Consultant, KDD Painting, Cobb Hill Construction, the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, and Sash and Solder Window Restoration.

This award recognizes the work of a small, highly committed Board of Directors who revived the Queen Anne style home that serves as their headquarters. It is the last remaining residence in a two-block stretch near Main Street that once held varied examples of period homes.

Group shot outside the Chamberlin House, Concord, NH. Photo credit: Nadine Miller

The house was bequeathed to the Club by Nellie Chamberlin, a long-time member who succumbed to the Spanish Flu in 1919. The Club used it for meetings and gatherings, and the upper floors provided apartments for single women. Membership dwindled in the early 2000s and maintenance was put on the back burner. But now about a decade ago leaders issued a rallying cry to repair the house and recruit new members. The response was heartening, and restoration plans took off.

Guided by a new Board-approved strategic plan and a thorough building assessment, the project team completed major repairs to secure the building envelope from water infiltration, address systems, and prevent further deterioration. Work included regrading, foundation repointing, reconstruction of the rear porch, repointing and rebuilding the chimneys, exterior clapboard and shingle repair, and window restoration. Inside, electrical service was upgraded and a new natural gas furnace was installed after Concord Steam went out of business. Original materials were retained or replaced in-kind when necessary. The house was repainted in colors appropriate to the Queen Anne period.

Looking ahead, repairs to the slate roof and making the property more accessible are priorities, accessible not only from a barrier-free perspective but also to assist in attracting more members and visitors from a wider group including women of color and those in the LGBTQ Community. Over its long history speakers have included Jane Addams, Booker T. Washington, Billie Jean King, and Madeleine Albright.

This revived landmark shines bright once again and enables the Club to continue its commitment to empowering women, offering scholarships, and exploring social issues.

Read about the rest of our 2022 Preservation Achievement Award Winners here.