Nate Ward, foreman of Dynasty Deconstruction, breaks the glass out of a door while deconstructing Terrace Hall. Dynasty recycles 86 percent of the buildings it deconstructs, said Dynasty director Keith M. Ludwig. The company sells building materials to sc

Credit: Steve Schirra

    Like Johnson and Stopher halls before it, Terrace Hall is coming down starting July 7, said Mike Bruder, assistant director for the Office of the University Architect.

However, only the residence hall is being demolished. The annexes of Terrace, which accommodate the Human Resources offices and ROTC, will remain, according to the Office of the University Architect’s Web site.

Dynasty Deconstruction recently completed asbestos abatement in the section of the building set for demolition. Power was disconnected last Thursday to that part of the building making it safe for demolition.

“Our deconstruction contractor (Dynasty Deconstruction) is in there pulling out all the copper which will get salvaged,” Bruder said. “The university gets some of the proceeds from the salvaged materials.”

Keith Ludwig, president and owner of Dynasty Deconstruction, is salvaging other useful material, such as metals, and selling it along with his crew of eight employees handling the Terrace deconstruction.

His company and Kent State will split the profits 50-50. Ludwig said furniture and other usable materials from Terrace were sold in May, a success for both his company and Kent State.

“I’ve educated Kent on how to help the environment,” Ludwig said. “I’ve also taught them how to make some extra money.”

Bruder said once Terrace is demolished, a parking lot will take its place. He said the lot will have about 200 spaces.

“The lot is going to be a major stop for PARTA,” Bruder said. “We’re putting in a bus-only lane to improve their time around campus and to encourage people to take the bus.”

Bruder said there will also be a significant amount of bike storage in the lot, making it a great transfer point for students to switch from their bikes to the bus.

Along with the parking lot, Midway and Terrace drives will be widened to accommodate two exit lanes onto state Route 59.

“There’s sometimes a traffic jam at 5 o’clock, so we’ll be able to get traffic out more efficiently,” Bruder said.

He said construction on Midway and Terrace drives will begin in late July.

Neither road should be closed during construction, but they will most likely be down to one lane with a flagger directing traffic.

In addition to salvaging materials and furniture, Ludwig will also sell bricks from the building as a memento to former occupants of Terrace Hall.

“We’ve got about 300 orders for bricks so far,” Ludwig said. He added that the bricks will be available for shipping in three to four weeks, and that some alumni have purchased bricks from as far away as California, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Construction of the parking lot will stretch into the fall semester and will most likely be finished by October, Bruder said.

Anyone interested in purchasing a brick for $1 can contact Ludwig at (216)-253-9601 or through e-mail at [email protected].

Contact buildings, grounds and transportation reporter Kurt Jakub at [email protected].