Home to sock hops, car demolitions, Homecoming celebrations, bake sales, dining halls and thousands of residents during its existence, demolition work began on OSU's Willham Hall on Monday, Jan. 24, 2005. OSU VIPs and Willham alumni gathered nearby that day to watch OSU President David Schmidly and Kyle Jones, Residence Halls Association president, give the signal for the wrecking ball to swing. A webcam transmitted pictures of the demolition. Willham Hall alumni bought door knobs and other items as memorabilia. They also purchased bricks that were engraved with their names and placed around the buildings that later replaced Willham. Growing demand for private bedrooms, bathrooms and more personal living space as well as a 30% increase in demand for campus housing was the reason given for the demolition decision. Photos by alumus Jeff Clark.
