Campus will be a little roomier next year. After 41 years, eight of the 11 Small Group residence halls will be torn down.

Heer and Harbourt halls will be the first to go early this summer, followed by Altmann, Musselman, Humphrey, Apple, Metcalf and Munzenmayer halls.

The three remaining halls, Stewart, McSweeney and Van Campen halls, will not be torn down. Van Campen houses the international affairs offices and is already making renovations for a new program starting in April.

Tom Euclide from the Office of the University Architect said McSweeney and Stewart may later be used to house offices or departments.

“Kent State always has a need for space,” said Euclide, executive director of facilities, planning and operation. “Having some free space, which can be used as the university grows and changes, is very helpful.”

Betsy Joseph, director of Residence Services, said it’s always nice to have “swing space” on campus.

“There’s always a building (on campus) that’s under construction. There’s always some offices that need relocated,” she said.

Euclide said he is talking to a department on campus about possibly moving to McSweeney or Stewart. He said if it decides to move, renovations could start next winter.

However, if there is no need for the two buildings in one or two years, Euclide said, they will also be torn down.

“We don’t want abandoned buildings sitting on campus,” he said.

Joseph said Heer and Harbourt will be demolished when students return next fall, but the other six won’t be down until late fall. Due to the location of the halls, Joseph said the constructions shouldn’t cause any inconvenience to students.

Once the halls are torn down, Euclide said the space will be lawn area for the time being. Future ideas for the land are extra parking or recreational fields. Euclide said McSweeney and Stewart could be used for recreational buildings. Unlike Van Campen, which underwent some renovations in the ’90s, Stewart and McSweeney would need more work.

“McSweeney and Stewart would have to be updated to allow for handicap access, improve electricity and air conditioning and heating systems,” Euclide said.

Euclide added that currently, there are no “dedicated plans” for the two halls.

Contact room and board reporter Brittany Moseley at [email protected].