Demolition began on Hilltopper Hall on Tuesday, more than two years after the building was closed because of construction flaws and engineering deficiencies.
Hilltopper Hall was initially closed in February 2024 after large-scale issues were found both externally and structurally during an investigation of the building.
Initially, the university planned to address the building’s structural issues and reopen the dorm in the fall of 2026. However, repair costs rose as more structural issues were found in the building, leading to the Student Life Foundation’s decision to demolish the dorm.
Hilltopper Hall was built for around $40 million, housing roughly 410 students, according to previous reporting from the Herald. The architectural firm for the project was Sewell & Sewell Architect, and the engineering firm was S.E. Engineering. The same firms handled the Normal and Regents dorm projects.
In October 2023, an email sent by Catherine LaRoche, assistant vice president of Housing and Residence Life and executive director of the Student Life Foundation, said that engineers discovered components of the building needing further investigation while fixing decorative stonework.
In January 2024, another email was sent by LaRoche to the residents of Hilltopper Hall stating that the dorm would be closed in accordance with professional recommendations.
Just over a year later, Regents and Normal Halls were closed after an investigation found similar structural errors in these buildings as well. Normal and Regents opened in 2021, after being built for around $48 million.
The demolition is set to be finished by August 14 of this year. The university hired Renascent Inc., a demolition company based in Indiana, according to a contract obtained by the Herald.
The total costs of the demolition cannot exceed $1.5 million, according to the contract.
College Heights Boulevard will be closed to downhill traffic from the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily while the demolition is completed, said the WKU Police. The closure will only affect access downhill from the HUB lot to the Avenue of Champions and College Heights Boulevard intersection. The road is expected to reopen around the end of June, according to an email from WKU Police.
