The 150-year-old foundation of Varsity Hall was demolished yesterday morning, marking a significant step in the Varsity Hall project.
Although physical work on the site began last fall, years of planning have gone into the move. The building will now move north to a new site on Hospital Drive.
Rouss Drive closed Monday to allow for the move. Varsity Hall was split from its foundation Wednesday morning when it was elevated with hydraulic pumps. The new concrete foundation will be poured into the new site next Wednesday, Project Superintendent Lester Wolfrey said. After the move, Rouss Hall will be renovated and expanded.
University Project Manager David Sweet said Hospital Drive is scheduled to close to through traffic Mar. 19 and be turned into a cul-de-sac. People accessing the Lawn from Brandon Avenue or Jefferson Park Avenue will have to go through Cabell Hall. A new temporary Lawn access path will be built behind Pavilion X.
The next step in the project will be the formation of a stone path between the old and new sites. The building is scheduled to be towed down the path to its new site in mid April.
"About 4,200 tons, or 247 truckloads, of crushed stone will be placed and compacted to make the move route," Sweet said.
Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget, said three different site proposals preceded the final location decision. The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Board of Visitors approved the move in February of last year.
"The original reason for moving this structure was the expansion of the Commerce School," Sheehy said.
She said after the Rouss Hall extension, the College and the Commerce School will share the building.
The project managers had considered total demolition of the building in earlier stages, Sheehy said. The demolition would have cost approximately $300,000. The current budget for the combined projects of the Varsity Hall move and the Rouss Hall restoration is $4.6 million.
Wolfrey said he has seen the University improve in the 31 years he has been working here. He said the University has been making wiser construction decisions in recent years. He also noted an increase in construction projects.
"At this point, they're putting a building anywhere they've got room," Wolfrey said.
The historic nature of Varsity Hall was a contributing factor to the decision to move the building rather than demolish it, said Brian Hogg, senior historic preservation planner for the Office of the Architect.
"Varsity Hall was the University's first infirmary, and it was a state-of-the-art building at the time," Hogg said.
Wolfrey said the project has had its challenges, but that it is running on schedule.
"The worst things are the traffic and the location," he said.
Utility Foreman Howard Desper said the crew currently is working on matching measurements between the new and old sites so that the building's pipes can be preserved. Hogg said the ventilation and heating systems in Varsity Hall contribute to its historic value because they were advanced for the 1850s.
Desper said the crew has been making good progress.
"It helped a lot when we were able to fence in the construction area so that students wouldn't interfere with our work," he said.
The Discovery Channel is documenting the construction project and move for a show called "The Big Move." Sweet said filming for the report started last fall.
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