Students returning to campus from summer vacation may notice a slightly different landscape than the one they recall from May. Kishwaukee Hall is no longer there.

The building, which once stood near the east lagoon, was demolished Aug. 14 after the Board of Trustees voted to demolish at the June 25 meeting. Clean-up was completed the following day and, for the immediate future, there are no plans to erect another building in its place.

“Our goal is to clean up the area,” said Jeff Daurer, director of capital budget and space planning. “We want to let the grass grow and turn it into a very pleasant space for students to go and enjoy some fresh air while studying.”

Long-term, the college would like to expand the space if finances permit, Daurer said.

“Potentially, we would like to install a gazebo,” he said. “We would really like to enhance the green space.”

In 1989 and 1990, conditions audits found that the hall had a leaking roof and black vinyl asbestos, among other issues. The audits found that repairing the building would be too costly to be feasible, a decision that Daurer agrees with.

“The building was in bad shape,” he said. “It would have cost more to repair [Kishwaukee Hall] to make it functional again than to rebuild entirely.”

Kishwaukee Hall was also on the east lagoon’s flood plain, which left it vulnerable to occasional flooding.

The radio tower near the Kishwaukee Hall was also demolished, “mostly for aesthetic purposes,” according to Daurer. “Most dishes [near the tower] were not being utilized.”

Built in 1940, Kishwaukee Hall found many uses over the course of its nearly 70-year lifespan.
It hosted a coffee shop, campus radio stations, the student union and the offices of the Northern Star. Until it was demolished, fiber arts classes used the building. They have been relocated to the Visual Arts Building.

Despite Kishwaukee Hall’s long history, the impact it’s dismantling has on current students remains to be seen.

“I had no idea it was even there,” said Meredith Garren, sophomore. “I didn’t know anything about it.”

Other students echoed this sentiment, including senior political science major John Peterson, who also offered a suggestion for what to do with the lot.

“We should leave it be,” he said. “We should let nature take it’s course.”

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