Fallen Buildings
“Barton Hall, you’ve been good to Temple and CST. Now it’s time to say goodbye.”
Sounds morbid, doesn’t it? That’s what Temple’s College of Science and Technology posted on Facebook on Tuesday, September 22, 2015, with a photo of the nearly demolished Barton Hall in an accompanying photo.
Have you ever seen the movie Divergent? The Scorch Trials? The Hunger Games? Barton Hall, in the hub of Temple University’s campus, now looks like an abandoned building from one of those films. At this point, half of the building is still standing, but there are cracked and broken windows and drywall leaking out of the sides. The other half of the building is split up into a few large piles of rubble.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this demolition is the equipment that is bringing the building down. There is one vehicle in particular that students are absolutely fascinated by.
“Jurassic World came to life and it’s tearing Barton down,” Jonathan Bui, a senior at Temple wrote online. He is, of course, referring to the Tyrannosaurus Rex-looking vehicle that is literally biting down Barton Hall like a Philly cheesesteak. Seriously –– it looks like a dinosaur.
It is quite entertaining to watch. It’s like a historical creature has come to life and is now infiltrating our campus.
On the other hand, some people are sad about the demolition rather than entertained. A lot of science and technology students had classes in Barton Hall and are sad to see it go. With the addition of the Science Education and Resource Center, commonly known as SERC, which opened last year, there is hardly a need for Barton Hall now.
So, what is going to replace Barton Hall? Something Temple students never thought would come to fruition: a new library! For years, there have been rumors circulating of a new, modern library to replace Paley Library. Temple confirmed these rumors last year with an announcement of “Visualize Temple,” a campaign for a new campus layout.
Temple University president, Neil Theobald, believes that a library should play a pivotal role in any student’s education.
Last year, Theobald said, “Temple’s academic heart will be where it belongs: at the core.”
As for Barton hall, it may be almost gone, but it will not be forgotten.
Written by: Lauren Waksman
