Seven buildings on the campus of PennWest Edinboro will soon be or have already started to be demolished.
A complete list of all the buildings that they plan for demolition include:
- Centennial Hall
- Miller Research Center
- Rose Hall
- Earlley Hall
- Boiler House Maintenance Building
- Earp Hall
- Dearborn Hall
The project is part of an overall plan by Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), to ensure efficient use of campus buildings at PennWest and other campuses across the commonwealth.
Demolition is funded by the PA Department of General Services and has been in the works for a couple of years.
“At that point in time, we identified the buildings that we felt really, at this point, were not in use, (or) were not really aligned with the direction we were heading with the campus.” said Amanda Brown Sissem, a campus administrator at PennWest Edinboro University.
Sissem said until there’s a new purpose that aligns with their strategic plans, the buildings will become green space.
“I get to talk to alum all the time in my position, and there are great memories associated with every piece of this campus. While we want to honor those memories, we also have to continue to evolve,” said Sissem.
The PA Department of General Services is currently working on other projects on campus such as remodeling the library, complete with separate study rooms and new technologies.
Borough Manager Jason Spangenberg is a PennWest alum himself and said he’s excited for what the future has to offer.
“This might be a good move, hopefully at least to save costs,” said Spangenberg. “Higher education (is) in a really tough spot right now, not just for our university.”
“We want to create a sense of community. Centralizing our students in areas where there’s a lot of activity is really important for them building that campus culture,” said Sissem.
