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BGSU confirms plans to demolish Memorial Hall

Memorial Hall was built in 1960 for a cost of $1.2 million. Over 60 years later, it is scheduled for demolition.

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — A 63-year-old building at Bowling Green State University is slated for eventual demolition, a university spokesperson confirmed Thursday.

University leaders are planning to have the building demolished as a part of BGSU's Master Plan 2.0, a campus-wide plan still early in development. According to a BGSU Board of Trustees meeting in early 2023, the plan is estimated to cost $59 million and take place in phases over the course of more than 10 years.

The date of Memorial Hall's expected demolition was not yet made available. 

According to the BGSU digital gallery, Memorial Hall was built in 1960 for a cost of $1.2 million, its namesake a dedication to university students who lost their lives in the armed forces. 

Between 1963 and 2011, Memorial Hall was the site of university basketball games at Anderson Arena, a tradition that ended in 2011 when games moved to the Stroh Center and Anderson Arena closed. Memorial Hall also housed graduation ceremonies for decades until those were also moved to the Stroh Center. 

RELATED: New era in Bowling Green men's basketball tips off

Today, Memorial Hall is the primary facility of the university's gymnastics program and houses the Air Force and ROTC program. 

Master Plan 2.0 comes on the tails of the university's first iteration of a master plan, which was completed in 2022 with the installation of the new campus gateway, according to the BGSU Board of Trustees. 

Credit: WTOL 11

Earlier contributions to Master Plan 1.0 included the renovation of the new Maurer Center and the construction of Centennial Hall and the Wolfe Center for the Arts. 

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