Southern Oregon University's Cascade Complex is being demolished over the next two months to make room for the anticipated development of a senior living center.
SOU's Cascade Complex is an obsolete cluster of nine residence halls and a cafeteria on the southwest corner of campus that have been largely unused since 2013.
Staton Companies, a Eugene-based contractor, was awarded a contract to demolish the Cascade Complex following a competitive bidding process. The demolition portion of the job started last month and is being done for just under $1.7 million.
That and all other aspects of the project -- including abatement and disposal of asbestos and other hazardous materials, and preparation of the site for future use -- are being covered by a $3.5 million allocation from the 2021 Oregon Legislature to responsibly raze the facility.
The Cascade Complex was built in phases during the early 1960s and it was completed in 1967. Issues with the facility precluded updating or repurposing the complex as it neared the end of its expected 50-year life span.
The facility's demolition will eliminate ongoing upkeep costs for the university, and also removes an estimated $12 million in "deferred maintenance" projects that would have been necessary to rehabilitate the complex's failing infrastructure.
The current demolition work is expected to be completed by the end of March.
