Campus & Facility Updates

New England Campus

Antioch University’s New England campus, located in the picturesque town of Keene, New Hampshire, embodies a deep connection to its physical and cultural environment. Nestled in the Monadnock Region, known for its natural beauty and vibrant local communities, the campus provides an ideal setting for students committed to advancing environmental stewardship, social justice, and community engagement. Since its founding in 1964, AUNE has been a cornerstone of progressive education in the region, reflecting Antioch University’s broader mission to create meaningful change through innovative learning.

The campus leverages its surroundings to inspire action and collaboration, drawing from Keene’s history as a hub of civic involvement and environmental awareness. Students engage with local organizations, schools, and nonprofits to tackle real-world challenges, blending academic theory with practical solutions. Antioch’s programs are deeply rooted in the community, fostering partnerships that contribute to regional sustainability and resilience. Keene provides a vibrant backdrop for this work, offering a rich cultural and natural environment supporting Antioch’s commitment to experiential education.

A Vision for a New Campus

Antioch University is dedicated to creating a modern, sustainable, and community-focused campus in Keene, New Hampshire, to support its mission of advancing social, environmental, and economic justice. Since 2020, Antioch has been proactively exploring opportunities to establish a new facility that meets the needs of its students and faculty and deepens its connection to the Monadnock Region.

Throughout this process, Antioch has remained committed to its values of innovation, environmental responsibility, and community engagement. By leveraging partnerships and creative solutions, Antioch is determined to secure a campus that reflects its mission and positions the university for continued growth and impact in the Monadnock Region. These efforts highlight Antioch’s steadfast dedication to providing an exceptional learning environment while strengthening its ties to the Keene community.

Timeline & Efforts

Since 2020, Antioch University has been actively working to find a space that meets the needs of its students and faculty while strengthening its ties to the region. Below, you’ll find a detailed timeline of this process, along with a dedicated space for students, faculty, staff, and community members to access the latest updates about the new facility for Antioch’s New England Campus.

Should you have additional questions, please contact Cheryl Lower, Director of Administrative Operations for Antioch’s New England campus at [email protected].

Most Recent Update

January 2025

As we have shared over the past few months, there are few facility options in the greater Keene area. We have toured and evaluated literally dozens of buildings through this process. As a result of this search process, University Leadership has come to the conclusion that a co-location strategy on the Keene State College campus makes the most sense for our Community for a variety of reasons; proximity to the downtown retail/service area, purpose-built instructional space, on-campus services such as multiple dining and recreational facilities. It also presents an enhanced opportunity for academic pathways for KSC students into a number of our academic programs.

• Joslin House – We are in conversations with the leadership of KSC to lease their Joslin House facility. This transaction would include physical modifications to the interior of the building providing for larger instructional spaces and updates and modernization to the entire building. Antioch would occupy the entire building and have the ability to brand the exterior, which would have strong visibility along Main Street. We are in the process of scheduling building tours for the AUNE Building committee in the coming weeks to refamiliarize them with the structure so they can provide input regarding the modifications to ensure the best use of this space.

• Elliot Center / Rhodes Hall – While there are a modest number of private offices located in Joslin House, we will need more offices to address our faculty, student services, and administrative requirements. We are in conversations with KSC to secure offices in the two buildings immediately adjacent to Joslin (Elliot and Rhodes) along Main Street. These spaces would be leased under the same terms and conditions as Joslin House.

• Library – While Joslin House addresses our instructional space requirements, it does not provide enough space to house our Library inventory and operations. We actively evaluating a number of alternatives for the Library, including the potential co-location inside KSC’s Mason Library building. We look forward to sharing these spaces/locations with the Community in the coming weeks.

• PSC / CFTI – We are also evaluating a number of space opportunities for what will become a combined PSC/CFTI clinic operation. There is not an opportunity for us to extend our lease with MFS for the existing PSC space, and KSC has indicated that they have plans to demolish the Keddy House on their campus in the Fall 2026, where our CFTI has been located for a number of years and converting that lot to parking, which will benefit our occupancy in Joslin House. 

While we are still looking for sources of capital to fund the gap in financing the renovation of Blake House on the campus, we are actively pursuing other independent locations in Keene, including the expansion and redesign of what is now our Annex along West Street. We should be in a position to present space options to the clinic Leadership in the coming weeks.

October 2024

• Michael Greitzer, University Director for Real Estate and Strategic Initiatives, attended a working session with Keene State College (KSC) leadership to collaboratively develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the parties. One component of this MOU focused on the application for Historic Tax Credits in connection with the renovation of Blake House as the potential new home of the PSC and CFT Clinics.
• Additionally, Antioch is in discussions with the Northern Borders Regional Commission to assign the grant award to Antioch University from Northern Borders to Keene State, which was issued in support of the community benefit that the two clinics provide to the Keene/Cheshire County populations. The aggregate value of these two entitlements would net approximately $2.0m towards the renovation project costs.
• An additional component of the Memorandum of Understanding focused on funds needed to renovate and modernize Joslin House. This building would serve to house all of Antioch’s instructional space and student services offices, with periods of exclusive use of the building to service specific program requirements. Ongoing conversations will focus on office space for faculty/admissions/administration in adjacent buildings.

July 2024

• Discussion opens with Keene State College to lease one or more buildings on their campus that are now under-utilized due to their decline in enrollment.

June 2024

• The Chancellor notifies the President of Keene State College that Antioch will not be moving forward with the Ground Lease on the Winchester Street property.

May 2024

• Engaged with M&S Develop to respond to the announcement that American Family Insurance had decided to put the 55 West Street building up for sale.

March 2024

• Working with M&S and Stevens we are able to reduce the footprint of the building and value-engineer cost to $540/sf, which was again determined to be un-financeable.

January 2024

• JGA presents its findings on the feasibility of the capital campaign in support of the new campus facility.  JGA concluded, for a number of reasons (lack of community involvement, campus marketing, etc.) that our ability to raise more than $1.5m-$2.0m was very limited.
• The preliminary cost estimate of the project comes in a $658/sf or +70% over budget.

November 2023

• JGA conducts more than 30 Keene community interviews, made up of alumni, community leaders and governmental officials in support of the capital campaign feasibility.
• Stevens engages the services of an independent cost estimating company to development a preliminary cost estimate for the new building and the renovation of Blake House.

October 2023

• Preliminary drawings and elevations are presented at the Board of Governors meeting and subsequently distributed to the AUNE community.

August 2023

• The Chancellor engaged the services of Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates (JGA) to conduct a capital campaign feasibility study to assess our potential fundraising ability in support of building a new campus facility.

June 2023

• The Chancellor shares the conclusions of the focus groups at Graduation and work and then begins to create a blocking diagram of the proposed building.

April 2023

• Stevens and Associates begin conducting focus group conversations with members of the AUNE community.

March 2023

• Antioch enters into an Option Agreement with the University System of New Hampshire whereby they will demolish the two vacant residence halls on the Main and Winchester Street site and prepare the site for new construction, and in return, Antioch will sign a long-term Ground Lease for that site, including the leasing and renovation of the historic structure on the site known as Blake House.

November 2022

• Antioch enters into a Pre-Development Agreement with M&S Development and Stevens and Associates Architecture to perform a feasibility study to finance and build a new campus facility on the former Innovation Hub project.

October 2022

• University System of New Hampshire elects not to fund the building project for Antioch on the Keene State College campus.

September 2022

• Keene State College approaches Antioch with an offer to build and lease a new campus facility for Antioch on the former site of the Innovation Hub project Main Street.

July 2022

• American Family withdraws its Letter of Intent without explanation.

June 2022

• Antioch sells the Avon Street campus to Monadnock Family Services for $4.2m and agrees to a leaseback of 42,000/sf for 48 months beginning 07/22 through 06/26.

May 2022

• Antioch and American Family are exchanging Letters of Intent to lease approximately 50,000/sf feet in the 55 West Street Building.

February 2022

• Antioch enters into confidential negotiations with American Family Insurance (parent of Main Street America Insurance) to lease space in the MSA corporate headquarters at 55 West Street.

November 2021

• People’s Bank announces a merger with M&T Holdings and places all asset sales on hold.

September 2021

• Antioch executes an Option Agreement with Monadnock Family Services to acquire the Avon Street campus.

August 2021

• Antioch enters into confidential negotiations with People’s Bank to acquire their branch and additional land on West Street to construct a new campus.

February 2021

• Antioch has actively begun evaluating buildings and sites in Keene for a new campus.

January 2021

• The Innovation Hub Project is put on hold, and the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation is determined to be insolvent.

June 2020

• Antioch enters into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation to be a tenant in a to-be-built Innovation Hub on a site at Main and Winchester Streets on the Keene State College campus.

April 2020

• Chancellor signs listing agreement to sell the Avon Street campus.

March 2020

• Board of Governors elect to put the Avon Street campus up for sale.