Alex Husting
On the day that the demolition of Cambridge Residence Hall and the replacement of Spidle Hall were both approved, the Auburn University Board of Trustees looked ahead to what projects could be next for the ever-evolving campus.
Renovations, demolitions and other construction projects are a year-round feature of Auburn University's campus as enrollment continues to grow and the university tries to meet the evolving needs of the thousands of students that walk the campus each year. One way the university looks to meet those needs is through modernizing or replacing some of the buildings that served students decades ago but have since become outdated.
"We've got several things coming online towards the end of this year and the end of next year, and then we have what I've termed three NFL buildings that I've spoken with you about," Trustee and Property and Facilities Committee Chairperson Michael A. DeMaioribus said at Friday's meeting. "That's 'Not For Long.' Parker Hall, Funchess and Terrell Hall."
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The discussion between DeMaioribus and AU Vice President of Facilities Management Jim Carroll came during a meeting where the Auburn University Board of Trustees approved project initiation of the demolition of Cambridge Hall and the building of the 138,000 square-foot Barbara Drummond Thorne Academic and Research Facility, to replace Spidle Hall, which was approved for demolition in June.
Spidle Hall was built in 1962 and has housed much of the College of Human Sciences for decades. The building will be demolished this fall. Each of the three "NFL" buildings are around the same age as Spidle Hall, which is part of what makes them due for demolition. Terrell Hall is a 28,000 square-foot building that has served primarily as a dining and laundry facility for the Hill Residence Halls. However, most of the residence halls at the Hill were demolished to make way for the new College of Education building and the new STEM and AG complex.
Parker Hall was built in 1963 and has housed a computer center and classrooms for math, chemistry and physics students for decades. The 86,676 square-foot building is located near The Edge at Central Dining and has been marked for demolition for over five years.
Two separate votes in 2019 created a 151,000-square-foot academic classroom and laboratory complex, or ACLC, and a 48,000-square-foot central dining facility, known as The Edge at Central Dining. Construction began with the demolition of Allison Laboratory and Parker Hall will be demolished eventually as part of this project. The hall is still standing and in-use today.
Funchess Hall is the oldest building of the group. Built in 1961, the 134,622 square-foot building has housed departments in the College of Agriculture, including the Department of Biological Sciences.
Carroll said he believes that the demolition of Parker and Funchess can come once the university's new STEM and Agriculture Sciences Complex is built. The new complex will allow the Department of Mathematics & Statistics to be relocated from Parker Hall, the Department of Geology to be relocated from Beard Eaves Memorial Coliseum and College of Agriculture departments to be relocated from Funchess Hall.
Hoar Construction broke ground on AU’s new 285,000-square-foot building in December 2023. The company is serving as the general contractor for the $184 million project, which will be located along West Samford Avenue. Construction on the project is ongoing.
"So our demolition program does include Spidle, which is currently fenced, we heard that earlier, Terrell and the other buildings, Parker and Funchess, we believe those are to follow as well, as a result of building STEM and Ag.," Carroll said. "We'd like to get them off our portfolio. Long-term we'd also like to do Beard-Eaves(Memorial Coliseum) but that's in a long term demolition program where we still have assets that are used in those buildings."
Beard-Eaves is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena built in 1969 that was once home to Auburn basketball and other sports until Neville Arena was built. The Auburn University Comprehensive Campus Master Plan calls for the eventual demolition of the coliseum once all remaining occupants have been relocated, according to the university's website.
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