The process of Morse Complex being demolished on Aug.11
After the removal of Central Morse Hall in favor of an improved School of Nursing, South and Southeast Morse halls are set to be demolished by spring of 2026 due to deferred maintenance costs and to reduce campus square footage as recommended by the Kansas Board of Regents.
The pending elimination of South and Southeast Morse calls for the relocation of not only Student Wellness and Student Counseling, but also other programs and spaces including TRIO, art studios, the forensic science lab space, the Student Veterans Association lounge, the HVAC filter room, and theater storage.
According to Director of Facility Planning Peter Hauff, the Veteran’s Lounge is likely to be relocated to the Memorial Union just below The Bulletin’s office. The Interfaith Chapel will also go into the Intercultural Center in the Memorial Union when that space is redone. The forensic science labs will make their way into the science hall and the new location of TRIO has yet to be determined.
South, Southeast, Central, North, and Abigail Morse halls were constructed in the mid-twentieth century as dormitories. While other Morse dorms have been altered or demolished, Abigail Morse continues to serve as a dorm building due to its historic nature. Other Morse Halls remained dormitories until as late as 2016.
Due to the age of the buildings and being between sixty and eighty percent empty space or ruins of old dorm rooms, there is about six and a half million dollars of deferred maintenance between the two dorm buildings. The demolition of Central, South, and Southeast Morse Halls will save the University a total of $11.39 million in deferred maintenance costs. Their demolitions will allow a new nursing building to be constructed with the program in mind and meet modern building standards as opposed to altering existing spaces to serve a new function.
The sites of South and Southeast Morse Halls do not currently have any new construction projects underway and may remain a green space for the foreseeable future.
“Working with architects doing the nursing school, they’ve got some ideas of what it could be. It could be a landscaped plot, open space, (or) green space for the time being,” Hauff said. “Obviously it could be a space for another building, but I think if we were to open that up and kind of make (the new School of Nursing building) run into open space and then into the Union Square which we’ve just redone, I think having it as an open space will be really ideal.”
South and Southeast Morse will not be demolished until after the opening of the new School of Nursing in Fall 2025. All functions of the buildings will remain open throughout the process.