Source: NCSU Libraries
Harrelson Hall
The locks were broken open for Harrelson Hall’s final tour on Friday, organized by Wake County Alumni Association Service Chair Barbara Day. Set for demolition during the summer of 2016, Harrelson Hall has stood as a landmark on campus since 1961.
According to Civil Engineering Project Manager Steve Bostian, it was the first cylindrical building constructed on a university campus. Alumni say the building was both a blessing and a curse.
“So long, farewell. All my calculus courses I took here … I didn’t do so well,” signed Tom Streder, a graduate of the engineering class of 1980, on Harrelson’s wall.
Cyndi from the class of 1991 signed, “So long to the ‘Round Building that sinks.’ Thanks for the memories!”
Len White was one of the first students to experience having class in Harrelson, recalling the fall semester of 1963. He remembers how the building was originally color-coded to ease the confusion of getting around, but the color has since faded.
With Harrelson Hall being a defining part of the Brickyard today, White harkens back to when there was no such thing. “The Brickyard wasn’t there. It was mud. A lot of mud. And there were wooden planks that went out across the Brickyard, and you had to kind of dodge your way in to get to the building.”
The building held 103 staff offices and 58 classrooms, with a holding capacity of 4,500 students. It has a trademark musty smell and an ascending circular ramp. It was generally found confusing to navigate by alumni and still is today.
John William Harrelson came to NC State in 1905 to study mechanical engineering. He was president of his senior class, captain of the military unit, president of the Mechanical Society, valedictorian of the 1909 class, served in both World Wars and was referred to as Colonel Harrelson instead of Chancellor Harrelson during his time as chancellor from 1945 to 1953.
The building was constructed during the reign of Chancellor John Caldwell from 1959 to 1975 along with Bragaw Hall, Cox Hall, Carmichael Gym, Mann Hall, Thomas Hall and the former bookstore.
According to University Architect Lisa Johnson, NC State underwent more change from 2000 to 2011 than any other time in its history. Along with Park Shops, the 1911 Building and Withers Hall, Harrelson Hall was also originally meant to be renovated.
“We actually got funding to renovate this building,” Johnson said. “And as we started getting into it and looking at it and studying the building, we came to find out that you couldn’t put enough money into the building to make it a good classroom building.”
The low ceilings in the classrooms provide a bad line of sight for students. And because of the flooring throughout the building sloping toward the center, Harrelson doesn’t meet the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations of 1990.
According to Josh Griffin with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., the demolition won’t include implosions or wrecking balls, to many people’s disappointment. Instead, an excavator with a long arm attachment will be placed inside a “slice” of Harrelson and eat around the building. He compared it to a game of Pac-Man.
Liz Bowen with the University Sustainability Office says they are hoping to salvage 90 percent of Harrelson’s resources—about 700 trucks worth of material including chairs, whiteboards, fire alarms, and so on. Materials will be sold by Habitat for Humanity, and the fire department is also taking doors and hinges for training. Firefighters need to know how to break in doors—the heavier the better—and Harrelson happens to have heavy-duty industrial doors.
Some greenery will flourish in Harrelson’s place after it meets its demise when the seniors graduate in the spring. According to Bowen, not too much will be invested in this garden area because it is only a temporary addition to the Brickyard. Plans for a new project named the Science Commons Building are underway but are not yet set in stone. This new building might not be around for another decade, but Griffin guarantees it won’t be cylindrical this time.