After months of planning, the demolition of BGSU’s Administration Building is here. Originally announced in March of 2021, the plan is to demolish the building and replace it with a gateway entrance to campus.
Trustees have approved funding of $1.9 million for the project, with $1.6 million of that being for the demolition and construction, and the rest covering design and contingency costs.
The demolition is planned to begin on Nov. 8, weather permitting, and will take approximately four weeks.
The process will necessitate road closures and detours on Thurstin Street, and the Bowling Green Fire Department will still operate unimpeded. The parking lot of Founders Hall will also have to close to ensure safe demolition. Additionally, there is a plan currently to pause the process from Dec. 13 through 17, so that the noise does not disrupt final exams.
The project’s timeline hopes to have the building demolished by the spring semester, and the gateway finished by fall semester of 2022.
The location is actually the original entrance, but the 10-story building was constructed in 1961 to house offices such as the Bursar. In recent years, it has been noted that the building is in dire need of attention. The building lacks functional heating or cooling, and is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act’s accessibility requirements.
BGSU President Rodney Rogers told the Sentinel-Tribune that “to fix the building where it needs to be would be too costly.”
In addition, many of the offices have already been moved to other existing buildings on campus, and will have new spaces like the off-campus Huntington Center housing the Bursar.
In its place, the University plans to construct a new entrance to the historic end of campus. The design is not yet publicly final, and is awaiting final approval from the Board of Trustees. The gateway is intended to re-open and beautify the quadrangle, as well as honor the history that the space has with the original entrance.
The building’s rooftop also houses the transmission tower for WBGU’s 88.1 FM radio station. The broadcast service will switch to transmitting its signals over that of the local WBGU PBS station, with no interruption in service expected.
