University of Cincinnati Plans Demolition, Replacement of Campus Landmark

The University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, recently announced plans to demolish and replace campus landmark Crosley Tower, according to local news. The 16-story concrete structure is set for to come down beginning in January 2026 to make room for a new academic and research facility.

The new facility is part of a $240-million project outlined in recently filed bidding documents that will rearrange and improve a variety of teaching and research spaces around campus. According to Local12 news, construction on the new building will begin in January 2027 and has an estimated completion date of June 2029.

The university’s Office of Planning+Design+Construction determined that repairs to Crosley Tower—which was built in 1969—would be too difficult, reports Cincinnati.com. The tower houses labs for chemistry and biology classes. Work will take place in three phases. The first is to abate the presence of asbestos, mercury, and lead; the second is demolition; and the third is new construction. Construction has an estimated budget of $215 million.

Local news reports that the university has been considering the decision to demolish the building for about five years. The building was at 50% capacity in 2018, when the university issued a timeframe of tearing it down within the next five to ten years. In 2020, the university reported that demolition could start as soon as 2025.

According to the bidding documents, the program’s objectives include the creation of new flexible, open-bay experimental research labs and supporting research facilities; new flexible teaching labs; new standardized researcher and faculty offices; new general-purpose, centrally scheduled classrooms; and student success and collaboration spaces.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Doerr School of Sustainability Accelerator

    From Concrete Warehouse to Innovation Hub: Accelerating Sustainability at Stanford

    The transformation of a once windowless, concrete publishing warehouse into a sun-drenched center for global innovation began with a single, fundamental challenge: how to turn an industrial storage shell into a space built for human connection.