Multimillion dollar demolition of Angelo State's Concho Hall underway
The demolition of the Concho Hall residence hall at Angelo State University is underway and is scheduled to be completed by this fall, according to a news release from the university.
The building is known as the men’s high rise on campus. The demolition project is expected to cost approximately $5.6 million.
Demolition efforts are being led by Lubbock-based Collier Construction and Dallas-based AMX Companies.
"Phase 1 of the project is underway in the interior of the building and includes the removal of all the scrap metal and other fixtures," the release stated.
Phase 1 is scheduled to be completed in late May 2024.
Phase 2 of the project to demolish the exterior and concrete frame of the building using a high-reach excavator will begin in late May or early June, with a completion date in August 2024.
Removal of the foundation, back-filling the resulting hole, landscaping, lighting and other finishing touches are scheduled to be completed in October, according to the release.
Unlike when Concho Hall’s twin high-rise building, University Hall, was demolished via implosion in October 2009, this demolition will be more "traditional" with the building being broken down and hauled off piece by piece.
“It is just more cost-effective to do a conventional demolition,” said Cody Guins, ASU executive director of facilities services.
“It is also logistically easier. We don’t have to worry about protecting all the surrounding buildings. It doesn’t have the ‘wow factor’ of an implosion, but just makes more sense in every aspect to do it in the conventional way," Guins said.
ASU facilities services personnel will undertake basic protective measures during the exterior demolition process, including fencing, detouring traffic, and protecting windows and air-intake units, particularly for the ASU cafeteria directly next door.
Concho Hall and University Hall opened in 1968.
"Each measuring about 104,000 square feet, the men’s and women’s high-rise residence halls both housed nearly 500 students per semester as they dominated the San Angelo skyline for over four decades," the release stated.
"ASU students last resided in Concho Hall in 2017, and several different renovation and then demolition plans were considered," the release stated.
"After several studies determined that the building was unsuitable for use as a residence hall or an academic building, ASU officials moved forward with the current demolition plans that are being funded by student housing fees," the release stated.
The university plans to utilize the former Concho Hall site for construction of a Research and Innovation Hub facility, pending funding approval from the state legislature, according to the release.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Multi-million dollar demolition of Angelo State's Concho Hall underway
