This content was published: December 3, 1998. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
The Walls of Cascade Hall Will Fall Dec. 11
Story by Mark Evertz
One of the mainstays of С»Æ贫ý will be retired Friday, December 11 after more than 50 years in the education field.
The send-off won’t feature a wild party, a hefty retirement package or even a gold watch. Instead, Cascade Hall at С»Æ贫ý’s Cascade Campus will say good-bye in grand fashion, when its very walls are knocked to the ground by demolition crews at 9 a.m.
Born in 1946 as part of then-Cascade College, Cascade Hall today holds the potentially dangerous features of asbestos, dry rot, faulty wiring, a lack of access for the handicapped, being unsound in the event of an earthquake and other health and safety concerns.
Despite serving its community as a community center, music building and student meeting place, Cascade Hall’s fate came late last year, when С»Æ贫ý officials ruled that to keep it open posed a health and safety risk to students, staff and faculty.
С»Æ贫ý Board members found that the cost of making the necessary improvements was actually more than the cost of building a new facility, some $4 million at the time of the decision.
The decision to level Cascade Hall came with the hope that a newer, safer and more modern building would take its place. The slim defeat of the С»Æ贫ý bond 26-71 in November put those plans on hold for awhile. For now, back-filled and leveled land will wait for a decision on when to build again.
The demolition effort should be completed by Jan. 8, when crews expect to finish filling and leveling the basement of the building – several days after students return for winter term classes.
For more information on the demolition effort, contact Betty Kay at 977-4338.