West Virginia University has begun interior demolition activities at Stansbury Hall to make way for the construction of Reynolds Hall, the new home of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
WVU has vacated Stansbury Hall so abatement crews can remove asbestos-containing materials from the building. Abatement activities are scheduled to be completed by mid-July and include removal of roofing, windows, floor tile and pipe insulation. WVU’s abatement contractor is Environmental Assurance Company Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana. The full demolition of Stansbury Hall will begin in mid-July and continue through October.
Stansbury Hall opened in the 1920s as the WVU Field House and was the home of WVU basketball until 1970 when the WVU Coliseum was opened. Since 1970, various WVU departments have been housed in Stansbury Hall including Philosophy, Humanities, Religious Studies, Statistics, International Programs and Army and Air Force ROTC.
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics was able to salvage portions of the original basketball court, including the center court logo, and other items from the Jerry West/Hot Rod Hundley era that will be incorporated into the WVU Basketball Hall of Traditions.
WVU’s construction manager, P. J. Dick, will install a fence around the facility in early July, prior to full scale demolition. Demolition activities will also include removal of the pedestrian bridge across Beechurst Avenue to the PRT.
A new bridge will be constructed as part of the project. WVU has requested approval from the Division of Highways to install temporary pedestrian cross walks with traffic signals during the duration of construction. The sidewalk in front of Stansbury Hall, on the west side of Beechurst Avenue, will be closed during demolition and construction. WVU Parking Area 11 will also be closed in early July and permit holders in that lot will be relocated.
All temporary disruptions to Beechurst Avenue and the Caperton Rail Trail will be announced and coordinated with the West Virginia Division of Highways and City of Morgantown.
The new building is slated for completion in April 2022. Final schematic designs of the new facility are being finalized and will be made public in the near future.