Out with the old, and in with the new. 

After 63 years as a dormitory, Ray Hall no longer exists as Waynesburg University looks to build a new residence hall on campus for students in the near future. 

“There’s an emotional attachment to this building for me,” Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee said. “I lived there for two years as a junior and a senior. I was an R.A. in Ray Hall. We are making way for a new dormitory that we are excited about.”

Ray Hall was chosen to be destroyed because it was the smallest and needed the most modern updates. In the fall of 2023, the dormitory was shut down. 

“There were enough vacancies in the other halls so we easily accommodated those students to live in other residential halls,” Kelley Hardie, dean of students, said. 

Ray Hall was constructed in 1963, and was named after Joseph W. Ray, president of the Board of Trustees, and his father, a former board president.

Demolishing Ray Hall is part of a multi-phase project for the University, in conjunction with the new parking lot being built behind East Hall. The first phase was to develop the parking lot to near completion. Phase two: get rid of Ray Hall.

“[We are] taking some of the earth we are excavating and other usable materials and dumping them into the parking lot so we can build that up,” Lee said.

The final part of this project is to construct the new building. Another factor in deciding where to build a new dormitory was the safety of students. 

“It’s a very safe location,” Lee said. “We are putting it where Ray Hall was, so students do not have to cross any busy roads.”

Some old plans included having one along N. Morris St.

“When we looked at where to put a new dormitory, we were thinking of where the maintenance building is, right below the criminal justice building.” Lee said. “The problem is that street. Students would have to cross in large numbers to get to the main campus. We know water trucks, dump trucks and a lot of vehicles go up that street. It’s not the safest approach.”

The new hall will be a multi-level suite-style dorm for about 60 students, with 20 per floor. The decision regarding whether it’s a male or female dorm has not been made yet.

“We are cleaning up from the demolition and getting all the rubble out,” director of facilities and planning, Tim Lucas, said. “We will excavate here in the coming weeks.”

Construction of the new hall will be a two-year turnaround and will be ready at the end of 2027.

Lucas said that the project might even be done sooner. 

“It would depend on funding sources and how the contract would schedule.”

All recent additions made to the university, such as the eHIVE and Benedum Dining Hall renovations, have been funded by donors and will not come out of students’ tuition.

For more on the demolition of Ray Hall, you can watch the YouTube video below.