Construction of Antioch University New England’s new facility on Keene State’s campus is on hold due to financial constraints, according to a joint news release from the two schools.
“Construction costs for the designed Antioch building proved to be substantially higher than anticipated,” said William Groves, chancellor of Antioch University. “Over the past years, costs for materials and labor, as well as for borrowing money more than doubled the estimated expense.”
Antioch University is a private graduate school with additional campuses in Ohio; Seattle; Santa Barbara, Calif.; and Los Angeles. Its New England campus in Keene offers master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as professional and continuing education in fields such as counseling, psychology, education and environmental studies.
In June 2022, Antioch sold its campus at 40 Avon St. to Monadnock Family Services, a nonprofit community mental health center. Antioch will continue to lease space from the nonprofit in that building, as well as other locations in Keene, according to the release.
A plan to construct a new building for Antioch’s New England programs at the corner of Main and Winchester Streets was announced in September 2022 in a joint news release from Antioch University and Keene State.
Antioch is exploring different options for its new facility at existing spaces in Keene, including on Keene State’s campus, Groves said.
“Our goal is to create a high-quality learning environment that supports the needs of our students and the needs of the community,” he said. “We will explore all options that move us closer to achieving this in Keene.”
The previously proposed location was the home of Keene State’s Monadnock and Randall residence halls, which were demolished earlier this year. Once Keene State had finished the demolition, Antioch was slated to begin the construction of a two-story facility, which was expected to be 40,000 to 50,000 square feet, per previous Sentinel reporting.
The Winchester Street space will be temporarily repurposed to create a temporary parking lot for students, primarily commuters, according to Keene State President Melinda Treadwell.
“We are still actively involved in working with Antioch on this plan,” Treadwell said. “Having them near or on our campus enhances opportunities for all of our students.”
James Rinker can be reached at 603-355-8569, or jrinker@keenesentinel.com.
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