Vintage Views: Where the past meets the future

The Concord Train Depot that was demolished in 1959 was located on the current site of the Capital Shopping Center on Storrs Street. James W. Spain Collection
Published: 11-09-2024 7:04 PM |
“We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us.” – Winston Churchill
Travel back with me to the year 1959. We are together in a location commonly known as Railroad Square. A 25-acre parcel of land that has known a rich history, a history dating back about 175 years. During our visit to this location, we discuss the history of transportation here in Concord, in particular we speak about the history of the railroad. Railroad Square is a parcel of land that you can visit to this very day, but the years have transformed Railroad Square drastically. If you visit this location today you will find it occupied by the Capitol Shopping Plaza along Storrs Street with Interstate 93 just behind. The year 1959 echoes in our local history time and again, like a voice that cannot be silenced as stories pass from one generation to the next.
Railroad Square was the hub of passenger activity featuring depots dating back to the year 1850. The first depot actually served coaches arriving and departing prior to the arrival of the railroad. The passengers would arrive at the depot in their Concord Coaches and board a small passenger coach destined a short distance to Main Street. The old shuttles were provided by local hotels with the primary objective being to bring the passengers to their hotels, such as the Eagle or Phenix among several of this period. The first depot was replaced a second time around the year 1860 and again in 1885 with a very grand depot. This grand depot constructed in 1885 was the grandest of them all and it continues to haunt us to this very day.
The depot I refer to was demolished in 1959, this place so very iconic to us to this very day. It is viewed as perhaps the most regretful of many demolitions to occur in Concord and with the demolition many people recalled many nostalgic events harbored by most of the people living in Concord during this period. It was designed by architect Bradley L. Gilbert, the very same architect who designed Grand Central Station in New York City. Often referred to as the largest depot in New England it featured multiple floors and the latest 1885 technology. Seen as modern to our ancestors no expense was spared.
The 1865 Concord Railroad Depot was built with brick and granite with a long awning connected, long enough to protect three trains during stormy weather. The grand depot boasted a copper roof with ornate features. I recall my maternal grandfather mentioning the smoke and steam being blown back from the locomotives into the covered passenger platforms, blinding the passengers momentarily. The cavernous waiting room featured a massive map showing the public where the railroad routes were located as well as the mileage between each location. The grand ceiling 70 feet above this room featured carved timbers and ornate trim. The top floors housed the railroad official offices. The president of the Concord and Montreal Railroad actually had an office on the second floor at one time, located in the southwest corner of the building's second floor. There was also a large white marble fireplace to keep the office warm on cold winter days.
A restored Concord Coach graced the grand foyer for all to enjoy and the railroad staff spared no expense with customer service as passengers shuttled on and off the passenger trains. During the construction of this 1865 Railroad Depot, a startling discovery was noted. The quarrymen were delivering granite footings, wedging the heavy granite into the freshly excavated earth and there was additional digging to ensure the footings were plum and level. As the shovels turned the soil a spade struck an object that soon called much attention to the construction. It was an ancient sword that was discovered, a sword with writing upon the blade. Local historians of the day visited the location and determined the sword to date back to the time of the Vikings. Certainly, a sensational discovery steeped with mystery, but that is a story for another day.
As the railroad industry declined, we found many vacated depots around the country with similar fates. The buildings were vacated when people started to use modern forms of transportation instead. Empty depots were razed or replaced with smaller modern depots with the thought of saving the railroad the additional expense. Our beloved depot met this fate and a small ranch-style depot was built to the north a short distance. Train tracks were moved over to the new building and passengers boarded and departed from this location starting in 1960 until passenger rail service was discontinued. In time the 1960’s depot became the terminal for the Concord Trailways Bus Company, eventually razed too.
Some say a building is simply four walls with a roof. For the people of Concord their grand depot was so much more. In addition to outstanding architectural features, it held many memories. For many it was the last place a family said goodbye to a soldier departing for war, perhaps never to return. It was a place that welcomed people back to Concord upon their return on a passenger train. The depot was a place where friends met and boarded the train to Boston for a night on the town or a baseball game at Fenway Park.
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As years progress and we see buildings razed we often feel the loss of emotional connections. Regardless of the building, it might be a church or an old Victorian home, we feel the loss when we pass buildings that once were. Hidden within plain view our city features remarkable buildings where significant events took place. It might be an event of importance or perhaps it might be the house you grew up in.
Yes, perhaps a building is just four walls and a roof, but when that building contains years, years of history, memories, sorrow, Christmases past and comforting thoughts, we become emotionally connected. Embrace what you have today and hope your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren might pass the same buildings you once did as a child.