WSU clears lot for new ag science building

PULLMAN -- Washington State University is in the midst of its largest demolition in the institution’s history, tearing down its fourth-largest building.

Johnson Hall, once home to U.S. Department of Agriculture research offices, is coming down to its footings. The hall’s $8 million demolition, funded by the state, is scheduled to last until March. Its exit will make way for a new federally funded agriculture research building.

The USDA will fund the new building, said Tim Murray, chair of the Department of Plant Pathology. It will house research programs for the Agricultural Research Service, including plant introduction, the WSU Departments of Crop and Soil Sciences, horticulture and plant pathology. Murray said the new building will be about half the size of Johnson Hall.

Demolition can be a lengthy process, said Cynthia Arbour, project manager for WSU Facilities Services, as the project covers around 180,000 square feet. Teardown began in August, when Johnson’s main wing received abatement and interior demolition. Exterior demolition started in November as robotic jackhammers began to tear down the hall, floor by floor.

“As much fun as it is to blow up a building, we have buildings all around Johnson Hall and it wasn’t an option,” Arbour said. “We’re slowly chipping away at it and slowly dismantling it for safety issues.”

When demolition began, around 300 faculty, students and staff were moved out of the building and distributed to different buildings on campus until the new building is complete, Arbour said.

Demolition of Johnson Hall will last a total of about six months, with the project estimated to finish in March, Arbour said. Construction for the new building will take about three years, she added, and the university hopes it will be fully operational by 2026.

The majority of Johnson Hall will be torn down, but a few fixtures will stay. Arbour said Johnson Annex, the building’s south wing that homes the Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles will remain. The glassed-in original foyer, nicknamed the “Jewel Box,” and trees on the building’s south side will also stay.

Johnson Hall served agricultural developments on WSU’s campus for more than 60 years. The hall is a historic building, and saw many generations of students and researchers. Murray said some people are sentimental of the building because many spent a large part of their careers in Johnson Hall.

The biggest reason the building is being demolished is because research has changed greatly since it was first built, Murray said.

“Johnson Hall was constructed at a time when agricultural research had very different needs,” Murray said. “The building did not meet all of the needs of modern research.”

Many older buildings have the potential to be renovated, but unfortunately Johnson Hall could not be. The building has issues with asbestos, and any kind of renovation to the structure would be expensive, Arbour said.

The hall was also uncomfortable to work in, Murray said — offices grew hot in the summer and inadequate heating made the building frigid in the winter.

Though some are sad to see Johnson Hall go, Murray said many are looking forward to having access to new resources to support research, good ventilation and temperature control. Graduate and undergraduate students working in various research programs will benefit most from the new building, he said.

Being a historic building, Arbour said it was important to document Johnson Hall before it was demolished. The university hired a consultant to take photographs, interview people and put together a report about the building, which was submitted to the state.

WSU also worked to salvage resources in Johnson Hall, saving parts to use in other buildings from the same era and reusing lab countertops to be installed in other buildings, Arbour said.

“Many of us who spent a large part of our careers are sentimental about the building and the ways we interacted in the past,” Murray said. “(But) we all look forward to the new building with the amenities needed to support current research needs.”

To learn more about Johnson Hall and the new USDA-funded building to support the Agricultural Research Service, visit Washington State University’s website at wsu.edu.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.