Brogan: A 'Friendly' Farewell!

A notable part of Concord's South Main Street is no more. The Norris House, constructed more than 160 years ago, has been demolished. In its place will be a new building housing, among other things, The Friendly Toast.

While the building was home to the Norris family, who owned the Norris Bakery (located in the building now housing the Bank of NH Stage), it was also occupied by various other entities throughout the years. Most notably, The Friendly Club and The Concord Academy of Hair Design filled the space for many decades.

The Friendly Club provided housing to hundreds of young women needing a comfortable environment in which to live. Many were attending Nursing School or the Concord Commercial College on North Main Street. For them, the building represented a home.

For many of those years, Elsie Campbell was the housemother. She took, very seriously, her responsibility to her "girls" as she lovingly referred to them. She may have been strict in some ways, but she provided them with genuine and heartfelt care and was a sterling role model. They knew they could always come to Mrs. Campbell whenever they had a problem.

The Friendly Club was a building I was well familiar with from my many years working at the Concord Theatre, next door. Elsie and I chatted almost daily as I would arrive at work in the late 1960's. She was always interested in what we were showing and whether it was appropriate for her residents to see.

In the summer of 1970, we played the screen version of the 1969 concert at Woodstock. The film drew thousands, but due to its length (over 3 hours), attendees often stepped outside for a cigarette. Frequently they smoked in the alleyway between the theater and The Friendly Club.

One evening Mrs. Campbell came into the theater looking very concerned. She told Theresa Cantin, the theater's owner and me that, "They're out there smoking in the alley and it's not Marlboro's!"

In the addition that was added to the house, hundreds of locals flocked to roller skate, and it was the site of a great many other community-related activities.

Later on, the Montore family purchased the building and did extensive renovations while maintaining the integrity of the building. They turned it into The Concord Academy of Hair Design where hundreds of future hairstylists learned and honed their craft.

In the years since, thrift stores and other businesses have enjoyed the facility and the building was a real downtown landmark, proudly standing against the world around it, that was changing.

Those changes finally caught up with the Norris House this week. However, it didn't go down without a fight.

Developer Steve Duprey has tried, for years, to find someone who would move the house to another location. He offered it for free and even agreed to provide funding for the move. Despite some interest, nothing came from his efforts.

For those of us who have lived most of our lives in Concord and especially those who grew-up during the 50's and 60's, the building was one with which we were all familiar. IT was a comfortable friend that seemed to have always been there.

We will miss seeing you.