While members of the SLU community have surely noticed the overnight disappearance of O’Brien Hall, the spell of demolitions on the North Campus is set to continue with the leveling of Pruellage Hall. These campus developments, while coming on rapidly, have actually been in the works for years.

Dustin Montgomery, SLU’s assistant director of construction services, notes that these demolitions are part of the overall University Strategic Plan, which calls for SLU to become “a leader in just land use and responsible urban design.”

The first master planning process in almost 30 years began in 2016 with the goal of looking at “how the overall priorities from the University’s Strategic Plan aligned with our facilities’ needs in the next 10 to 20 years,” Montgomery said.

The master plan process, which is guided by a committee of faculty, staff, students and administration, aims at addressing the immediate goals that were laid out the University Strategic Plan.

he University enlisted the aid of the Hastings + Chivetta architectural firm to gather data on “building condition, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, space and classroom utilization, ADA accessibility needs, and utility infrastructure, among other areas,” according to SLU’s website.

Some projects of the master plan will be familiar to members of the SLU community.  The new residence halls, crosswalk improvements along Grand and the new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building currently under construction were all part of the plan.

As for the future of these projects and the recently leveled areas, he states that “a new classroom building is a priority of the master plan, and demolition of O’Brien and Pruellage will aid this effort.”

The other areas cleared on Laclede “will become additional greenspace in the near-term, but it’s possible that it could be used for expanded student housing or other student needs in the future,” said Montgomery.

With O’Brien Hall’s demolition complete, Montgomery expects for demolition of Pruellage to start the week of April 15.

The demolition is projected to be complete by June.