Time has run out for Smith Hall

Smith Hall is history. At least it will be by Tuesday. The building is being demolished in a slow, drawn out process. Brick by brick, workers have been taking apart Smith Hall for the past week, according to a worker at the site. The University was issued a permit by the city late June that allows for both the demolition of the building and the construction of phase one of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology on the same location, according to Barry Cooperman, vice provost for research. Phase one entails the construction of a $34 million, 86,000-square-foot high-tech building on the Smith Hall site. This site was officially approved by the Air Force last month when it signed a Record of Decision and released the necessary funds. This approval came after more than four years of planning, discussions and controversy. Since the initial plans for the IAST were released, many students and alumni have expressed concern over the idea the historic building will be destroyed in order to make room for the IAST. Throughout July, the University prepared Smith Hall for demolition. This involved removing all of the asbestos in the building and hiring a contractor to undertake the project. The earliest the building could have been demolished was July 19 because the demolition notice has to be posted at least 21 days prior to the act, Cooperman said. Gravina said the University met with seven contracting companies in order to look into the various ways to approach tearing down the building. This project began in 1991, when the federal government selected the University as the site for the IAST. The project was then turned over to the Department of Defense and subsequently to the Air Force. The project is slated to create space for the Chemistry Department, additional Chemical Engineering laboratories and research space for the Bioengineering Department. Three years ago, the Air Force began an Environmental Impact Study, analyzing the plan's historical and environmental significance, focusing specifically on Smith Hall. In March, the Air Force finally completed the EIS and deemed the site appropriate. And last month's release of the Record of Decision made it official. As of March, the Air Force had already allocated $23.75 million in grant money for the entire project, according to Associate Director for Federal Relations Carl Maugeri. Its total contribution could reach $35 million. Cooperman has estimated that the construction phase of the project will cost between $44 and $50 million, and that the entire project could cost up to $70 million. Phase two of the project will consist of remodeling the Morgan Building and the Music Building and constructing a new wing that will connect the two buildings from the rear. For the third phase, the University will construct an engineering-science library in Hayden Hall. This will be expensive, and may take a long time to construct. The fourth and final phase of the project is the retro-renovating of space in both the engineering and chemical complexes. Because this phase is routine renovation work, its budget can be cut if the costs of the project become too high. Gravina has estimated that the entire project will take two years to complete.

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