Mason Hart
South and Southeast Morse building located directly north of Plumb Hall.
As the Nursing + Student Wellness building draws closer to completion, so does the demolition of South and Southeast Morse. The building will be the last of the Morse Complex to be demolished since the demolition of Central Morse in 2023.
The demolition aligns with recommendations by the Kansas Board of Regents to reduce campus square footage and close gaps in costly deferred maintenance. Morse Complex, which refers to South, Southeast, Central, North and Abigail Morse Halls, was previously a group of connected student dormitories.
Today, Abigail Morse stands alone and is the only portion of Morse Complex operating as a residence hall.
South and Southeast Morse currently house the Student Wellness Center, TRIO, the forensics lab and faculty art spaces. The Morse building also operates as storage for the theatre program. The hope is that all occupants will have relocation spaces and move to them by the end of the spring semester, said Peter Hauff, director of facilities planning.
“Major exterior demolition (will begin) as soon as possible after classes wrap up in May 2026. During the late spring semester, some preparation work on the interior can be done (asbestos abatement, utility disconnects, etc),” Hauff said in an email. “If all goes according to plan, the majority of the building will be removed over the summer. As this is directly in the center of campus, we want this messy work to occur over the summer.”
As for what the space will turn into, that has yet to be determined.
One idea proposed in early concepts of the site turned the space into a quad just off of the Nursing + Student Wellness building, and there are no plans to put a new building in Morse’s place. For the time being, the removal of the building will allow for better campus views of Wooster Lake.
Final concepts for the future of the South and Southeast Morse site will be drawn as Facilities develops the building’s demolition documents, said Hauff.
The demolition of South and Southeast Morse will save the university $11.39 million in deferred maintenance costs once demolition is complete, according to previous reporting by The Bulletin.
What do you want to see go in Morse’s place? Let us know! Email [email protected] to have your suggestion featured in an upcoming print edition.