University in Missouri approves dorm demos

The board of regents of Northwest Missouri State University (NMSU) has approved the demolition of two residence halls on its campus in Maryville, Missouri.

Calling it part of a multiyear plan to address the university’s residential facilities, the board approved a plan that will include the dismantling of seven-story Phillips Hall and the four-story North Complex. The project may get started soon after the conclusion of the spring 2023 semester.

“We are at a point now that allows us to remove buildings that were slated to be demolished years ago,” says Dr. Matt Baker, vice president of student affairs at NMSU.

North Complex was completed in 1962 and last housed students in 2018, other than a small number of students who lived in the building at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Phillips Hall, one of four seven-story residence halls on the campus, was finished in 1968 and last housed students in 2014.

Baker says demolishing the two dorms will reduce the university’s residence hall capacity from about 2,800 beds to about 2,300 beds. “That’s still excess capacity,” Baker says. “We are balancing the use of our funds to invest in student spaces to help with recruitment as well as addressing infrastructure challenges. Both of those buildings are beyond their useful life in terms of deferred maintenance.”

In presenting the demolition proposal to the board, Baker labeled it a $3 million project that will use unrestricted funds from the university’s auxiliary budget. The plan includes abatement of hazardous materials, a relocation of offices and programs from North Complex, and demolition as well as site preparation work to make the sites suitable for potential future buildings. 

Bids for projects undertaken by NMSU can be found here.