Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Cincinnati Plans Demolition, Replacement of Campus Landmark

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/07/23

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

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.