The City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire (City) is pleased to issue this Request for Proposals
(RFP) for the repair, lease and occupancy of the National Register of Historic Places-listed South
Meeting House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The City is the owner of the South Meeting
House, located at 280 Marcy Street. The South Meeting House is currently vacant, and the City
seeks a tenant with both creative vision and financial capacity to repair, renovate and incorporate
public functionality into the space.

The City seeks proposals from qualified entities, alone or in partnership with other firms, with
demonstrable background in the renovation and fit-up of historic structures and a long-term
occupancy compatible with the site and neighborhood. The City is prepared to work with firms
seeking to partner with or obtain funding assistance from non-profit organizations, local, state or
federal agencies.

Interested proposers are encouraged to attend a tour of the property. Tours will be on Wednesday June 26th from 9-11 am and July 1st from 1-3 pm

Sealed proposals plainly marked “RFP #58-24, “South Meeting House Reuse” on the outside of
the mailing envelope, addressed to the Finance/Purchasing Department, 3 rd floor, City Hall, 1
Junkins Avenue, Portsmouth, NH 03801 will be accepted until 12:00 pm on Wednesday, July 17,
2024

More information is available here –> https://files.cityofportsmouth.com/finance/bids/RFP58-24SouthMeeting.pdf

History

The South Ward Meetinghouse has a long history dating back to 1731. It was the original location of what is now South Church Unitarian Universalist Church on State Street.

After South Church moved into its new church in 1826, the City of Portsmouth used the building for many different purposes.

After the building was razed in 1863, the city built the current South Ward Meetinghouse in 1866. With a portico entry and four columns, the building has touches of Greek Revival architecture; but; overall, it is more Italianate with its rounded-top windows, roof line, and two-level tower which includes a clock.

There was a school on the first floor. A ward room for public events occupied the second floor.

From the 1870’s to 1915, Baptist denominations used the second floor as a church.

The Strawbery Banke Museum took a lease in 1963 to preserve the building and to prevent the building from being razed during urban renewal. The museum signed a 50-year lease in 1966.

The Children’s Museum of Portsmouth was in this building from the time it was founded in 1982 until 2008 when it moved to Dover, into a bigger and better space.

The belfry has an 800-pound bell dated from 1860 that came from a foundry in East Medway, Massachusetts.

The clock in the tower dates from 1901. It was made by the E. Howard Clock Co. in Boston, Massachusetts. Read more about the South Meeting House here, the source of much of the history above –> https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46209-d23345171-r787527173-The_South_Ward_Meetinghouse-Portsmouth_New_Hampshire.html