Love it or loathe it, the 1974 addition to the Erb Memorial Union is coming down, and the university wants people to have a smashing good time saying goodbye.
That’s smashing as in sledgehammering, spray painting and otherwise leaving a mark on the often loved (but sometimes not) addition before demolition begins in early May. Students, faculty and staff will be invited to swing the first blows at a special event May 1, just before the addition is turned over to contractors to make way for a modern new student wing for the venerable building.
“We’re going to take a moment to say goodbye to the ‘70s building and reminisce about some of the amazing things that have happened there, as well as to have some fun,” said Dan Geiger, the project coordinator.
The event will mark something of a turning point in the two-year expansion and renovation of the EMU, although it may not be apparent immediately. Soon afterward, crews will begin isolating the addition so asbestos abatement work can begin, which will be followed later this spring by the start of demolition.
May 1 is the last day people can schedule meeting space in the 1974 wing, including the Fir Room and Ben Linder Room. And soon after, the outdoor breezeway that runs under the addition will close for good, with pedestrian traffic routed onto 13th Avenue or 15th Avenue during construction.
Once construction is complete, pedestrians will once again be able to cross through the building much as they do now through the breezeway, but they will pass through a new “grand hearth” with a coffee shop, marketplace and information and concierge desk. It will be one of the signature spaces of the student addition.
But all that will happen after the “Sledgehammer Sayonara.”
Geiger said anyone who wants to help construction crews get a head start on the demolition will be invited to take a few swings at the spiral concrete stairway leading into the addition on the south side. They’ll also be able to spray paint their farewells on some of the concrete walls slated for demolition.
Whether people remember the addition for its dramatic Skylight dining area and the once-iconic fabric sculpture hanging in the atrium, or for the long lines to get Duck football tickets and chronically leaky roof, it’s time to say goodbye to the old and look ahead to the new.
Laura Morris, program coordinator for the EMU Cultural Forum, is helping organize the event. She said the farewell came out of discussions among EMU users and others who wanted a chance to express some feelings about the addition on the eve of its demise.
While people’s experiences with the addition have been mixed over the years – Morris recalled that she couldn’t run both the coffee maker and microwave in the Cultural Forum office without knocking out power to half the floor – she said most people are sad to see it go. For all its quirkiness, it still was part of the university’s living room.
“Yes, the roof leaked, and yes, it was very hard to find your way around,” Morris said. “But that was part of its charm.”
But charm and all, the addition’s days are numbered, starting with May 1.
The Sledgehammer Sayonara will start at 2 p.m. with SlingSplat, when students will be able to fling paint-filled balloons at the building using a big slingshot, followed at 3 p.m. by Sprayaway, when cans of spray paint will be available for people to put some artwork on the walls or write a message.
People will get a chance to put the hammer down at 4:30 p.m.; sledgehammers and safety gear will be provided. The event will wrap up with a visit from Destructosaurus, a demolition machine that will take the first big bites out of the addition. All events will take place near the courtyard area or balcony of the EMU.
Once abatement is finished and demolition begins, Morris said crews will remove one of the addition’s many wood beams and set it aside. It will be put on display during fall term, and students will be invited to sign their names on it as a kind of memento.
Morris said the beam will later be made part of the new EMU, where it will act as both a connection to the past and a bridge to the future.
In the meantime, EMU food vendors, the Buzz Café, the ballroom and the Craft Center remain open for business, along with other programs housed in the original 1950s portion of the building. Other programs have temporarily moved to EMU South in Mac Court.
The $95-million EMU renovation and expansion project is well underway in a phased approach to reduce the impact on daily activities for campus. A recent story highlighted what’s next for the remainder of spring and summer. Student fees will pay for $90 million of the project, which will be completed during the summer of 2016, and the remaining $5 million is being raised through private gifts.
- by Greg Bolt, Office of Public Affairs Communications