David's House, a non-profit home-away-from-home for families with children receiving treatment at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, announced it will build a new facility within walking distance of the hospital.
"David's House in Hanover is no longer close enough. Parents want and need to be within walking distance," a brochure soliciting donations to David's House stated.
From 1986 until the DHMC moved to its current location in 1991, the medical center was only several blocks from David's House, now located at 1 Prospect Street, on the corner of Allen and Prospect Streets, two and a half blocks west of Everything But Anchovies.
David's House will lease the new property, located on Mount Support Road between the two entrances to the hospital off Route 20, from the DHMC for $1 per year for 25 years, David's House Executive Director Jane DeGange said. The lease was signed earlier this month and construction of the new facility is scheduled for completion by mid-1994.
"The new house will have 15 guest rooms, a large playroom, living space to gather with other families, a large kitchen and a dining area -- all the comforts of home," the brochure stated.
David's House is already two-thirds of the way to the fulfillment of its $1.5-million capital campaign begun earlier this year to raise funds for the new building and to replenish their endowment, DeGange said.
"Our fund-raising efforts have moved well but we clearly have a long way to go," Campaign Steering Committee Chair Jane Watson said. "The support we've received through leadership gifts is gratifying and sets the pace we need for numerous regional campaigns that are now beginning throughout New Hampshire and Vermont."
William Breed, president of the David's House board of directors, said, "The Medical Center's agreement to provide the property is an immeasurable asset and we're excited that construction is beginning."
The sale of David's House's current seven-bedroom facility in Hanover to Merry Meadow Farm, a home for individuals recovering from mental and emotional illnesses, added $300,000 to the campaign objective.
