ISU to ask for demolition permission

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Indiana State University officials plan to ask the school’s board of trustees for permission to tear down the twin Statesman Towers on campus. The request will come during the board’s meeting Friday, business leaders said.

The buildings, which were built as student housing in the late 1960s, had housed the colleges of business and education until recently and are now virtually empty.

Vice President for Business Affairs Diann McKee said the demolition would cost about $4 million, but she said the cost would not be passed along to students.

“We will be funding this through the reserves of the university,” McKee said.

Despite the cost to tear down the buildings, McKee said the cost to repair them for future use would be even greater.

“They’re antiquated structures that, should they be repurposed for any reason, would need a considerable investment of money,” McKee said.

McKee said salvage and demolition work would take several months. The project would also need to be approved by the State of Indiana.

Once the buildings are gone, McKee said the ground where they now stand will be seeded with grass.