University Hall is set to be imploded May 25 at 10 a.m. The site served as the home of the University’s basketball programs for 50 years, before it was closed to the public in 2015.
The demolition of the site, along with the already completed demolition of adjacent buildings Onesty Hall and the Cage, are part of phase one of the Athletics Master Plan. Onesty Hall was home to the wrestling program, and the Cage hosted multiple teams including track and field and softball. The plan will transform the athletics department with new and renovated buildings and practice fields at an estimated cost between $12 million to $14 million.
The University Hall site will be repurposed into two new grass practice fields, which are set to be completed August 2020. Several months will be spent clearing the site of debris from the demolition.
Demolition company Renascent is conducting the implosion project and has managed the abatement of asbestos in University Hall. A safety perimeter will be implemented, and Massie and Copeley Roads will be closed off around 5:30 a.m. the day of the implosion and will remain closed until late afternoon or early evening that same day. Emmett Street will remain available for use.
The implosion will be accompanied by a loud sound that will last for several seconds. The event will be livestreamed on the Virginia Cavaliers’ Facebook page.
Since it opened in 1965, University Hall hosted men’s and women’s basketball games, concerts and other special events. Before the building closed in 2015, students, faculty and staff configured a virtual reality documentation of University Hall using scans and photographs.
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