Demolition, renovations to continue on campus

News Reporter

Orange cones were not a rare sight around campus this summer and fall as Northwest continues to work on its Residential Facility Plan with renovations and building demolition.

This plan outlines the teardown of two buildings and the renovation of 10 residential halls over the next seven fiscal years. The facility plan has created a way to right-size housing on campus and make necessary upgrades to residential halls.

First on the list was Phillips Hall, a residential building that has sat vacant since 2014. The demolition of the hall started May 22 and was completely torn down by mid-July.

Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs: Residential and Auxiliary Services Rose Viau said the process went along smoothly and the companies the University worked with for the demolition stayed on time.

“Our capital facilities people have really been running the projects really well,” she said. “So they do a lot of the day to day, making sure things are going right.”

During the teardown of Phillips, many community members, students and alumni came to watch the leveling of the hall they previously lived or worked in — many wanting a memento to remember that time.

“In all the social media groups, people have been taking pictures and posting it everywhere and commenting on their experiences and adventures that they had in those halls, which is kind of fun to read all their stories,” Viau said.

Viau said they considered selling pieces of brick from the buildings, but the process of cleaning the bricks and making sure they were ready to sell to the public was too complicated. Instead, the University will be selling the front of the student mailboxes from the building along with the key.

“We’re kind of fundraising off these, probably for Homecoming,” she said. “I've seen some people build like a little wooden box and then make it like a little bank.”

Though this idea is proposed, nothing is set in stone as to when they will be sold or how much a mailbox front and key will be sold for.

North Complex is also in the process of being demolished, which started in July. North Complex was completed in 1962 and last had students living in it in 2018, but was used as housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of Title IX and Equity, space for Knacktive, the Regional Professional Development Center and the Career Closet were all running out of North Complex, but have since been moved to different locations on campus.

Viau said they are still in the process of deciding what to do with the newly-free space in the middle of campus.

“A lot of people want a parking lot, but I don't think we're going to put a parking lot,” she said. “It's a beautiful open space, we’re not going to fill it up with concrete.”

Besides a parking lot, Viau said there is a possibility of utilizing the green space that would be created after the surfacing of the building.

“I think it'd be great for like hammocks and hanging out, tables with tops and places you can plug your stuff in and sit outside,” Viau said. “I mean there could be water fountains, could be just a big hang out. Relax, be outside.”

She said there won’t be a final decision on what will be there until future fiscal years because of the time it takes to design a new space and actually construct it. Though it is not a residential building, Thompson-Ringold Building is also being prepared to be torn down. Thompson-Ringold was originally built in 1931 for industrial arts programs and had housed many different departments and offices since its construction.

Forest Village Apartments - Sycamore was renovated with new flooring, some new furniture, countertop replacements, new faucets, new paint and other overall improvements.

As for next year’s renovations, the original timeline outlined improvements to the other two Forest Village Apartment buildings, Willow and Hawthorne, but Viau said that is subject to change to one building a year based on what the budget allows.

In the future, Tower Suites East, South Complex, Tower Suites West, Hudson Hall, Perrin Hall, Roberta Hall and Franken Hall are in the works to be renovated before the completion of the facility plan.

News Reporter

Log In

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyoneor anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ismthat is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link oneach comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitnessaccounts, the history behind an article.