Claremont seeks bids to demolish and remove 127 Sullivan Street building

Claremont has put 127 Sullivan Street on the path to demolition, opening a formal request for proposals that seeks one licensed contractor to handle the full job from teardown to final closeout. The city said the project is about more than knocking down a building: it includes regulatory compliance, disposal of debris and the work needed to leave the site clean and ready for the next step.

Sealed proposals are due July 16, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. at the City Manager’s Office in City Hall, where the bids will be opened publicly. The city will not accept late, unsealed, emailed or faxed submissions, and it said it will pick the contractor offering the “best value,” weighing qualifications, services and cost rather than simply taking the lowest price.

The demolition notice follows earlier city action at the same address, including a request for asbestos and hazardous materials testing at 127 Sullivan Street. That testing solicitation called for asbestos surveys and testing for lead paint, PCBs and universal wastes as applicable, a sign that the building is being treated as an environmental and abatement project as well as a demolition job. The city’s permits page also says most building, renovation and demolition work requires a permit, and some projects may also need zoning approval or Historic District Commission review.

Public records list 127 Sullivan Street as a building constructed around 1930, and the parcel identifier is CLMN-000119-000000-000238. The address sits within a broader city effort to confront the old industrial edge of the former Sullivan Machinery Company site, also linked to the former Synergy site on the Sugar River. In an earlier request for engineering qualifications, the city said the condition of the former Sullivan Machine Power Plant site and surrounding abandoned structures had deteriorated over time and needed to be evaluated for repair or demolition.

That larger riverfront effort has already been shaped by EPA-funded reuse work that ran from May through August 2023. The memo tied to that effort identified hard constraints, including impaired access, a small site, flooding and drainage problems and environmental restrictions, but it also pointed to the Sugar River waterfront as an opportunity for better pedestrian access, outdoor recreation space and event space. Market interest was also noted for a destination brewery or brewpub, underscoring how much the corridor has shifted from manufacturing to reuse.

The new demolition bid keeps Claremont moving in that direction. Contractors will have to carry $1 million per occurrence in general liability, $1 million in motor vehicle liability, workers’ compensation and $1 million in excess liability, and projects over $125,000 will require a payment and performance bond. For nearby residents and businesses on Sullivan Street, the work could bring heavy equipment, truck traffic and dust before the parcel is cleared for a safer streetscape and whatever redevelopment follows.