Longtime dorm fixture demolished at Cedarville University, making room for growth
It's been a bittersweet moment for students and alumni at Cedarville University as demolition crews tore down Williams Hall.
It holds many memories for people who once lived in the dorm hall.
Director of Gift Planning for Cedarville University, Roscoe Smith, said, 'When I arrived on campus in the fall of 1978 as a 17-year-old freshman, I was housed in Williams Hall, which at the time was a men's dorm.'
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Smith now works for the university. He said it was fun reliving the memories as he watched it come down.
'Playing way too much foosball. We had a lounge up on the second floor with a foosball table, and we had tournament after tournament,' Smith said.
He continued by saying, 'It's the people that made the difference, not the building.'
Williams Hall was transitioned in 1981 to house campus offices, beginning with student services.
In recent years, it has been home to several academic departments.
This is one of the final steps to rebuilding the campus. The Bolthouse Academic Center will be built at that location, costing $35 million.
'That will house offices, classrooms, student collaboration space, conference rooms for many of our liberal arts programs,' Smith said. He continued by saying it's pivotal for the school's growth.
'It's thrilling to see what Cedarville is continuing to move forward in advance, especially in today's higher ed market, which is very, very challenging,' Smith said.
Cedarville University said they plan to have the new academic center open by the Fall semester of the 2027-28 school year with a total of three floors.
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