Morrill Hall demolition planned by committee
By Zane McMillin (Last updated: 05/18/09 11:27pm)Sheila Teahan isn’t a structural engineer, but the associate professor of English can surmise that Morrill Hall, the century-old building that houses her office, is on its last leg.
“I’m convinced it’s structurally unsound,” she said. “I think it should have been torn down years ago.”
Fortunately for Teahan, that wish is closer to becoming the university’s command. A planning committee has decided to demolish Morrill Hall, which houses the history, English and religious studies departments. An addition will be made to Wells Hall to accommodate them when Morrill Hall is gone.
The decision comes about seven months after a $36 million replacement plan for the hall was approved by the MSU Board of Trustees. And although the planning committee — comprised of academic program representatives, university engineers and administrators — was charged with coming up with an alternative to Morrill Hall, the board must give its final approval.
The group examined four potential sites and chose making an addition to Wells Hall as the best option.
“Our next step will be to complete program planning, and I’m thinking it’s going to be a couple more months in the process,” said Barbara Kranz, assistant director of MSU Facilities Planning and Space Management, at a meeting held Friday to discuss the progress of campus construction projects. “The consultants and the group will begin to look at some concepts of how the building may be constructed, what it might look like (and) how big it’ll be. As a part of that, it’s a key component to look at the costs associated.”
Those costs, she said, include potentially relocating the departments in Morrill Hall into rented space, which might be a disruption factor.
The group worked with a consulting firm to examine potential sites, create a master plan and help make the best possible decisions in terms of cost, land efficiency and pedestrian and vehicle traffic, among other things.
“In terms of things we considered that we felt were high priority, we evaluated the sites, and what we did was come up with a set of criteria, also looking at our master plans, and then ranked those criteria,” Kranz said.
Plans to demolish the historic building have raised the ire of some who wish to preserve it. Teahan, on the other hand, said she is in favor of the demolition.
“I applaud the administration’s decision to demolish Morrill Hall,” she said. “It’s a charming building, but it’s clear the building can’t be salvaged.”
MSU Trustee Dianne Byrum said the building’s demolition is a starting point for interdepartmental reconfiguration.
“The building is in such disrepair that it’s not feasible that it be fixed and saved,” she said. “In terms of strengthening the programs which are housed there, it is in the best interest that it be taken down and relocated.”
Byrum, who was not a trustee during the initial planning process but has been kept abreast of developments during briefings at board meetings this year, said the demolition is crucial for the preservation of MSU’s educational offerings.
“It is important that our students get a quality and valuable education during their time here,” she said.
“The building being demolished and relocated will help achieve those goals.”
Originally Published: 05/18/09 11:20pm
Academics
05/19/09 9:30amSo, in a sense, they’re downgrading 3 major, classic departments from having their own space and function, and adding on an addition nowhere near where the classes are held and the students congregate for these programs? Well done, BoT, well done.
deal
05/19/09 11:25amAcademics…have you been in morrill hall? its time for a change. you come up with a better plan and then you have the right to complain about this one.
its not like history, english and religious studies are important anyway.
Where did you get your thinking?
05/19/09 11:39amOg course History, English and Religious Studies are important. They help to make a peron whole. You really need to practice your grammar better, “morrill hall”: Morrill Hall, use capitals for names. Also your sentences need to also begin with capitals, see why English is so important!
Og is Of
05/19/09 11:41amJust wanted to make sure you were paying attention.
Wow you are an idiot
05/19/09 2:07pmGo through and read your comment “Where did you get your thinking?” Talk about needing english to help with your grammar!
Townsend
05/19/09 2:35pmI think this is a travesty. I know they say the building a supports are wood, but I’ve lived in Washington, DC where similarly constructed buildings had their interiors gutted, walls preserved, and the buildings rebuilt from inside maintaining the architectural integrity, which Morrill has in spades over sprawling, ugly Wells located on the bland & sprawling south side of campus…
The real reason for the demo: the Board and U are simply too cheap to maintain such a classic structure and way too cavalier about preserving MSU’s history.
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TW
05/19/09 3:13pmGreat, just great. Congrats BoT… You’ve taken a great piece of what makes MSU’s campus beautiful and just thrown it away. You’ve all made an astute observation into what makes MSU unique. In fact, why not tear not all of the historic buildings on campus, and put up something resembling the Communication Arts building, cuz, ya know, everyone raves about how charming, friendly, and easily walkable the southern portions of campus are (psst… it looks like a friggin’ industrial park). By the way, just how much are you spending for this addition, and why couldn’t that money be spent on Morrill???
BBR
05/19/09 3:30pmIf this goes down I will never donate to the University ever again.
05/19/09 3:34pmImagine a structural engineer expressing an opinion on the teaching of English on a college level. Ms. Teahan would undoubtedly pay scant attention to such an opinion – which is exactly the level of consideration that her observation merits here. Perhaps Ms. Byrum has training and expertise in the renovation of period buildings for educational uses that would give her opinion some merit. This, however, is most unlikely.
Instead, what this article exposes is a set of uninformed biases and phobias against older buildings that traditionally combine to promote waste, ignore environmental impact and miss the myriad benefits of preserving the past.
Tanya
05/19/09 3:39pmI agree with Townsend and TW completely. Wells Hall and the Communications buldings have absolutely no personality. There is no reason that Morrill couldn’t be gutted and modernized and the exterior facade retained, absolutely none. It would be money well spent.
And from a branding perspective, old and charming buildings like this actually add to a school’s prestige more than the industrial park-like new monstrosities.
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Randy Petersen
05/19/09 3:55pmI graduated from MSU in 1966 and fondly remember my Spanish classes in the mid 1960s at Morril hall. I think it is a classy building, and remember my best friends statements to me that he and his girl friend did “immoral things in Morril Hall”. How stupid to tear down such great memories. BOO to the administration!
05/19/09 4:19pmSick…another building lost to uninformed, wrong people! Yeah…it won’t last any longer than 100 years? Wells Hall would be lucky to last that long…
Oh Palmer sums it up flawlessly: this article exposes is a set of uninformed biases and phobias against older buildings that traditionally combine to promote waste, ignore environmental impact and miss the myriad benefits of preserving the past.
Townsend
05/19/09 5:00pmI agree with the comments that this article is poorly researched and totally 1-sided (with only those wishing demolition of Morrill Hall getting a voice). Such ‘journalism’ doesn’t speak well for the SN nor, certainly, does it for the great J-School MSU has. With such non-aggressive points of view, the little lemming comes to mind – you know, the seemingly mindless, unquestioning rodent.
Hey
05/19/09 8:23pmLook here—I understand that there are many reasons behind those who wish to demolish Morrill Hall and those who don’t. I do not consider the article one-sided and, for that matter, that demolishing this building has anything to do with any of these academic buildings. What it comes down to is:
MORRILL HALL IS SINKING AND HAS BEEN FOR YEARS.
Didn’t any of you pay attention to your campus tour??
Ignorance is NOT Bliss
05/19/09 11:11pmThe University’s decision to demolish Morrill Hall further proves their ignorance and unwillingness to use historic preservation in planning. This is a shame.
Buildings in WAY WORSE condition than Morrill Hall have been saved.
I will second an earlier comment and agree that I will NEVER donate to the University EVER EVER EVER after this decision.