Manchester NH Heritage - History & Architecture

08/22/2026

City of Manchester Heritage Commission Meeting Agenda and Public Hearing Notice
Meeting Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Meeting Time: 5:30 P.M.
Meeting Location: Walter Stiles Conference Room - City Hall

Agenda

The official notice is posted on the City Events Calendar: https://www.manchesternh.gov/
Meetings of the Manchester Heritage Commission are recorded and are available for viewing on demand at https://www.manchestertv.org/

1. Chair calls the meeting to order and Roll Call:

2. Regulatory review of a building permit application in the Amoskeag Corporation Housing Historic District:
The owner of 70 Market Street, Tax Map 152, Lot 22 (Kerri Dutton for Market Street Holdings, LLC) seeks approval to repair and replace the existing original slate roof with asphalt. This applicant was previously before the Commission in January of 2022 for building improvements including the roof.

3. Certified Local Government:
The Commission will discuss the Certified Local Government grant to place the Central High School on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Review grant process
- Discuss requirements and timeline associated with the application

4. Pulaski Park
The Commission should discuss previous efforts to complete public outreach associated with the grant funded survey, and community restoration efforts for the monument restoration. A booklet of the park and monument is proposed for those who supported the effort with donations.

5. Discussion over Canal Street Complete Streets plan:
In 2021, the Department of Public Works was authorized to submit for NHDOT funding for 4800’ linear feet of multimodal improvements along Canal Street. Funding has been accepted and Engineering Study phase of the project is underway.

Additional Business:

1. Election of vacant Commission Officers and updated nominations

2. Recognition of Service for former Chair Stan Garrity

3. Additional discussion items at the Commissions discretion.

Adjournment: Without objection, the Chair gavels the meeting to a close.

Download project applications (if not posted here, contact the Commission to request copies):
https://www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Planning-and-Comm-Dev/Commissions/Heritage-Commission/Project-Applications

For any questions, requests, or comments please contact:
Manchester Heritage Commission
City of Manchester Planning and Community Development Department
One City Hall Plaza
Manchester, NH 03101
(603) 624-6450
[email protected]

Image: Sculptor Lucien Gosselin in 1937 photographed in his studio on the west side of Manchester as he works with his assistant in preparing the statue of Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski for casting in bronze. The monument to Pulaski, a Polish hero of the Revolutionary War who was killed during the conflict, was installed in Pulaski Park and dedicated on August 21, 1938.

08/22/2026

Welcoming the world to the Currier Museum of Art's Frank Lloyd Wright houses -- and to Manchester! ❤

07/07/2026

The Currier Museum of Art's new installation "How to Build a Usonian Automatic" includes archival materials, rare architectural drawings, and 3-D modeling. The display brings to life the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright's vision for Usonian Automatics--a housing scheme that included a modular and standardized system of concrete blocks that clients could, in theory, use to build their own homes according to Wright's designs., innovation, and legacy.

Only seven Usonian Automatics were ever built, and only one of these is on open to the public--The 1955 Kalil House in Manchester, which is owned by the Currier Museum of Art.

For reservations to tour the Kalil House and the Currier's 1949 Zimmerman House, also designed by Wright: https://www.currier.org/frank-lloyd-wright

Currently on view, this exhibition uses archival documents tell the story of the two trailblazing families who brought Frank Lloyd Wright to Manchester.

05/19/2026

Thank you for your hard work and your good humor! ❤

05/15/2026

It is such a joy to read about all these beautiful historic properties and the people who care for them. There is so much to admire and appreciate. Congratulations to the individuals and organizations who are being honored. And thank you, New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, for all you do.❤

Congratulations to our 2026 Preservation Achievement Award winners!
Learn more on our website: https://www.nhpreservation.org/blog/preservation-achievement-award-winners-2026

05/14/2026

This grand Tudor Revival style mansion at 607 Chestnut Street was built c1874 by Elisha Tubbs, a chemist who was involved in the manufacture and sale of a popular patent medicine, Ring's Ambrosia. His partner in the business was Person Cheney, future Governor of New Hampshire. There's a nice article outlining this complicated story on the Wilton NH town website: https://www.wiltonnh.gov/.../interesting.../ring_s_ambrosia . It is unclear how long Mr. Tubbs lived here (though it was likely a short period of time). It was later the home of Herman F. Straw, the Agent of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company from 1885 to 1919. After he died in 1929 the building was purchased by Elmer Goodwin and converted into a funeral home. The Goodwin Funeral Home was awarded a Historic Preservation Award by the Manchester Historic Association & Millyard Museum in 1995. Please share any additional information you may have about the history of the property.

So many people drive by this building every day, but have no idea how many very important things happen after the renovation.

This home's history is full of stories—for 145 years, 607 Chestnut Street was a funeral home serving the greater Manchester community. In moments of grief, connection, and farewell, people gathered here.

The building now is home to The Child Advocacy Center of Hillsborough County.

Today, that purpose continues in another form. It is still a place where people gather—not to say goodbye, but to move forward and find hope, healing, and support.

Generations have found comfort within these walls, and generations more will continue to do so. 💚

05/12/2026

Highlighted in the The Boston Globe

The Currier Museum of Art's Zimmerman House and Kalil House are the only two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes open to the public in New England. Built in the 1950s, they are beautifully preserved and interpreted and a popular destination for a growing number of Wright fans from around the world.
Tickets: https://www.currier.org/frank-lloyd-wright

For some time, the stewards of the two homes were happy to maintain a low profile. But now the Currier Museum of Art is ready to show off the architectural gems in its collection.

05/07/2026

Update:
A must-see! Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=996138929599137

Tune in on Friday at 9:30 a.m. for a conversation with local historian Stan Garrity about the Black History of Manchester project - WMNH 95.3 radio https://www.facebook.com/wmnh95.3

What stories has Manchester forgotten—and who’s working to bring them back?

This week on Let’s Talk About It, we sit down with local historian Stan Garrity to dive into the Manchester Black History Project, his incredible history sleuthing, and the hidden stories that helped shape our city. From untold narratives to fascinating discoveries, this conversation connects our past to the present in powerful ways.

Join us for a meaningful and eye-opening discussion—you might never look at Manchester the same way again.

🎙️ Tune in on Friday at 9:30 am and be part of the conversation. Manchester Ink Link WMNH 95.3 Manchester NH Heritage - History & Architecture

05/05/2026

New Hampshire Union Leader staffer Paul Feely with a piece on the retirement of Manchester's historic fire alarm system (with photos) -- "The final box — Box 4647 outside the main entrance of Manchester Collision Center at 150 John E Devine Drive — transmitted for the final time at 1 p.m. on May 1."

When the final master box in Manchester’s telegraph fire alarm system was pulled Friday, an era of service spanning more than 150 years came to an end — not with

05/04/2026

Important public meeting/community discussion (in person and online). This ad appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader.

New Boston Space Force Station
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
6:00 p.m.
Regarding ongoing environmental cleanup activities at the station that spans land in Amherst, Mont Vernon, and New Boston

BACKGROUND:
The New Boston Space Force Station is an important historic site. It's worth keeping track of what is going on at the facility from a historic preservation point of view. The U.S. Space Force (like the U.S. Air Force before it) is tasked, through federal regulations, with maintaining certain historical artifacts and elements of the facility.

The station's history is closely tied to the history of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. The story starts in 1940 when Manchester’s municipal airport was taken over by the federal government for use as a base for the U.S. Army Air Corps. After a short period of construction, the airfield began operating in the spring of 1941. In 1942 it was named Grenier Field, in honor of a local Army pilot, Lieutenant Jean Grenier, who had died in a plane crash in 1934.

During World War II Grenier Field operated as a way station for warplanes, pilots, and crews bound for Europe, and also served as a training facility. To be fully operational, the base needed a practice bombing range. In 1942 the federal government took control of the land it needed in the farming community of New Boston, around 15 miles west of Manchester. The range served the Manchester airfield (after 1947 named Grenier Air Force Base) into the 1950s. Grenier Air Force Base came under civilian control on July 1, 1957, with a continued military presence for several years on leased space.

On April 1, 1960 the U.S. Air Force began operating a new facility, the New Boston Satellite Tracking Station, on the former bombing range property. This was renamed the New Boston Air Force Station in 2009. The U.S. Space Force was founded as a new branch of the U.S. armed forces in 2019, and it took command of the satellite station. The base was renamed the New Boston Space Force Station in 2021.