SALEM — The university's structurally deficient library has been disappearing, brick by brick, since the spring.
The long goodbye, however, hasn't pulled on anyone's heartstrings.
"I don't think there is anyone on this campus or in the city of Salem that will miss that old building," said Karen Cady, a Salem State University spokeswoman.
The library, which opened in 1969, closed in October 2007 when an engineering report raised concerns about its structural safety. It is being taken down to make room for a new library that is expected to open in the fall of 2013.
Under way now is the first phase of the old building's deconstruction. About 20 to 25 percent of the structure's west side must be removed to allow construction of the new facility to begin, Cady said. The initial demolition should take the rest of the summer, and the remaining portions of the building will be taken down as construction on the new library progresses.
The methodical approach — first the brick is removed, then the structural steel is slowly dismantled — is necessary because the building is next to a busy street and residential neighborhood.
"Just given where it is, you can't go in there with a wrecking ball," Cady said.
To prepare the site for new construction, some blasting of ledge toward the back of the library is required. It will likely occur in late September. The university and the contractor met last week with neighbors to make them aware of the work and the procedure to follow should they want to file a damage claim.
Neighbors were also given the opportunity to conduct pre-construction surveys.
The budget for the combined demolition-construction project is $73.5 million.
The new 124,000-square-foot facility will include a "learning commons" housing a variety of student services, including academic advising, a writing center and services for students with disabilities.
The building will also have:
500,000 books, periodicals and materials
100 general-use library computers
12 study rooms
3 instructional laboratories
1 testing center
The new library will bring the university into the new millennium and change Salem State's physical landscape for the better, according to Cady.
"It will pull the campus together in a new way," she said.
Construction schedule
Excavation foundations and structural steel, summer, fall and winter 2011
Complete structural steel frame, winter 2012
Exterior envelope, spring and summer 2012
Interiors and finishes, fall and winter 2012
Finishes and completion, winter, spring and summer 2013
Landscaping, spring and fall of 2013
Building opening, fall 2013
Source: Salem State University — www.salemstate.edu/construction/
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