This fall, the NC State Wake County Alumni Network will host one final tour of Harrelson Hall, the infamous circular building that has sat in the Brickyard since 1961. Come spring, Harrelson will undergo preparations for demolition, which is slated for summer 2016.
Harrelson Hall is known for being the first cylindrical classroom building ever on a university campus. It is also known as one of NC State’s most dysfunctional and poorly constructed buildings.
NC State has been planning to demolish the building since 2002 but it wasn’t until this year that all the classrooms were moved out. Lisa Johnson, university architect for NC State, has been working on the project since the beginning.
“We’re planning on starting selective demolition spring semester and the heavy demolition, which is the process of actually taking the physical building down, around next summer,” Johnson said.
The building’s classrooms don’t meet the American with Disabilities Act requirements, and to bring it up to code would require restructuring, which is expensive. The budget prevents Harrelson Hall from having enough seating and upgrading essential classroom equipment.
According to the Harrelson Hall Replacement and Renovation Study, renovating the building costs about $13,609,000 while the total replacement costs about $18,621,000. Even though the demolition costs more, it would allow the university a chance to structure accessible classrooms and quality equipment.
According to Johnson, the building will most likely be locked in the fall after everyone has cleared out.
When the building is demolished, the empty lot will be restored into a green space as a placeholder for a future science commons building that will be used for interdisciplinary science teaching.
“There’s no timeline for that project so far,” Johnson said. “So until it comes online and there’s funding for it, the empty space will be a green space.”
Rebekah Dunstan, Campus Connections chair, is planning a “Harrelson Hall Farewell Tour” for alumni.
“I am excited about planning the tour because even though Harrelson Hall is infamous for being confusing and an eyesore, it’s still interesting in regard to history and architecture,” Dunstan said. “The details of the tour are still being worked out since it is not taking place until the end of October. It will be great to provide one last opportunity to tour the building before its deconstruction begins.”
The NC State Wake County Alumni Network strives to further the mission of the Alumni
Association by engaging alumni and friends through opportunities for connection, education and service in order to enhance lifelong connections with the university.
The network plans to have guests from Kimley-Horn, a design consulting firm that was selected to investigate and identify potential challenges with the deconstruction of Harrelson Hall, to talk about the project, provide a display of photos of Harrelson Hall during the years and invite faculty and staff who have worked in Harrelson Hall to share some of their memories of the building.
Adam Compton graduated in 2009 and is the Wake County Network director for the Alumni Association. He will be attending the tour in October.
“We have so many alumni that live in the area, yet they often don’t get back on campus enough,” Compton said. “They may go to a football game but can’t recall the last time they walked the Free Expression Tunnel. It will be great to hear what the future holds for that space.”
Laurie Mitchell is an alumni who helped organize the tour.
“Hopefully the building will be replaced by a more practical one with natural lights and spacious classrooms,” she said. “I’ve spent the majority of my undergraduate years in Harrelson, and returning to the building to say goodbye will be bittersweet to say the least.”
