Nicholas House torn down after nearly 100 years

Amy Paterson / photo editor Former housing for the Attention and Learning Disabilities Center was demolished after facility managers found large amounts of asbestos in the building. The new center can be found in Blue Ridge Hall.

Nicholas House, located next to Anthony-Seeger Hall, was demolished last week after a recent evaluation from facility managers declared it structurally and mechanically unsound, said Mack Moore, risk management coordinator with resource management.

The building formerly housed Parent Relations and most recently was home to the Attention and Learning Disabilities Center. The center now can be found in the Blue Ridge Hall.

The nearly 100-year-old building also contained large amounts of asbestos, a common occurrence in older buildings, Moore said. However, this asbestos was in a non-friable form that is soluble and not easily turned to dust. The asbestos would only be harmful if the paint or tile was breathed in or digested, or if it received physical contact, which disturbed it, Moore said.

"The Nicholas House demolition was part of the long-range plan for the campus west of South Main Street," Moore said. While the immediate plans for the site include graveling it over by the end of the month to make about six more parking spaces, the site eventually will be part of the new Estes Performing Arts Center, university spokesman Andy Perrine said.

"The university’s long-term plan is to focus on the arts," Perrine said.