Missed the last demolition of the Reunion building, the one formerly located in the parking lot west of Nebraska Hall?
DO NOT PANIC -- the next one is coming soon.
To keep in compliacne with LB605, UNL hired New Horizons LLC., contractors out of Kansas City, Mo, to begin demolishing Ferguson Hall on July 1, said Ted Weidner, assistant chancellor of Facilities Management and Planning.
"We're already vacating the building," he said. "Everyone must be moved out by next Friday (June 11)."
LB605, a bill passed in April 2009 allocated $137.5 million to NU over a period of 14 years, requires schools receiving state funds to tear down older buildings after a new one is constructed, Weidner said.
Environmental specialists began inspecting the building for hazards such as asbestos, lead and PCB by last week.
Most of the physics and astronomy faculty and staff packed up their offices and moved to the new Physical Sciences Building on 16th and W Street.
One transfer is physics professor, Greg Snow, who said he's looking forward to his new office.
"We in physics are glad to have a building of our own," Snow, also the associate dean for research, said.
Some people were not as happy. Some said they'll miss Ferguson Hall and others wondered why the university decided to tear it down instead of renovating it.
"It's impractical to remodel or refurbish a building like this, especially one that is unfriendly for the environment," Snow said.
So by fall semester, Weidner said, "Students will see lots of trucks trying to fill the hole before September first," he said.
And when the entire project is finished, the space that used to support Ferguson Hall will be covered with grass, shrubs and trees.
"And places to sit," Weidner said.
Snow said he heard the university was talking about adding on to Manter Hall, which houses the School of Biological Sciences, in the direction of Ferguson Hall.
"It hasn't been approved, yet," he said. "But it's a high priority case, I'm sure it will be approved."
As for the remains of Ferguson Hall, the doors are being donated to the Lincoln Fire Department to be used in training, and Snow is working on getting at least three of the marble slates saved. One he wants to make a table with, one he wants engraved for the new Physical Sciences Building and one with "College of Engineering" already engraved into, Snow wants to give it to the current College of Engineering.
History of Ferguson Hall:
1948- Construction began
1950- building opened for students and faculty
Initial purpose- house administrative offices for the College of Engineering and the Electrical Engineering department
Namesake- 1903 Alumni, Olin J. Ferguson, who served as Chair of Electrical Engineering in 1912 and 1945. Ferguson was the dean of the College of Engineering from 1920-1945. He retired in 1949.
Design- Architects Davis & Wilsons steered away from classical design, the popular design of the time, and went for the simplified and streamlined approach.
Cost - $700,000
More about the history of Ferguson Hall can be found at historicbuildings.unl.edu.
A little about the new Physical Sciences Building
Home to the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the new Physical Sciences Building, as we're all referring to it now because the proposed name has not been approved by the Board of Regents, opened May 17, 2010, according to Ted Weidner.
Weidner said the Board of Regents should approve the name Friday, June 11.
Plenty of tasks await to be finished in the new building. An observation last week revealed crew people fastening office desks together and putting shelves up. Trash bins needed to be dished out, etc. It was hard to breath in the basement because it smelled like either saw dust or construction chemicals.
Despite the unfinished tasks, physics students will attend summer courses in the new building.
"We knew Ferguson was going to be torn down, so we planned to move some summer courses to the new building," Earl Hawkey, director of Registration and Records, said.
About a dozen courses will be held in the new Physical Sciences Building.
See the dailynebraskan.com for updates to this story.
tanikacooper@dailynebraskan.com
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