College, City Hire Historic Preservation Consultant

KEENE, N.H., 10/25/08 - Keene State College and the city of Keene are jointly undertaking a study to address the impact of the proposed Keene State College Alumni Center project on the historic character of Keene’s Main Street. The new 18,000-square-foot building on the east side of Main Street would replace three existing buildings near the Winchester and Main Street roundabout.

Elizabeth Durfee Hengen of Concord, a consultant in historic preservation since 1980, has been selected to make the study. Hengen was a consultant to the city of Keene in establishing the Downtown Historic District and has served a number of other communities, including Jaffrey, Manchester, Concord, and Squam Lake in New Hampshire, and Everett in Massachusetts. She has been a consultant for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation in assessing the impact of highway improvements on historic resources throughout the state. Her project work satisfies the requirements set forth by the New Hampshire Preservation Offices and the National Park Service.

Hengen began work on the study October 24 and expects to finish by mid- November. Officials of Keene State College and the city of Keene will review the completed study with the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.