While we all returned to a snowy, picturesque campus this semester, the students in 1962 returned to find that one of their buildings was badly burned.
The Keene Teachers College Paint Shop, which had sat behind the Theta Chi Delta fraternity house, caught fire over winter break. It was estimated that the fire caused damages totaling between four and five thousand dollars. Although most of the paint in the shop was spared by the flames, the labels did not fare as well and had burned off the surviving cans.
The fire was discovered by a local policeman at around 3:44 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 31. Although firefighters were able to respond before the fire spread to any neighboring structures, the damage to the shop was significant.
First responders surmised that the fire had started in a heating fan and then spread to consume the entire upstairs portion of the building. Due to the considerable amount of damage to the shop, it was deemed unsafe and would later be condemned and subsequently demolished.
Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com
