Across campus, most buildings are bustling with students and staff. For two buildings, Monte Cristo and Baker Hall, this is not the case.
Classes and departments have gradually been moved out of the two halls over the past two years, with the process approaching completion.
TRiO, MESA, Custodial Services and Conference Services have moved to the first floor of Parks Student Union. Place Of Our Way, a space that provides resources for Native, Indigenous and Pacific Islander Students, has been moved to PSU 258. The only department left in either of the two buildings is the Veterans’ Resource Center. All of this is just one step in the plan for Baker Hall’s replacement, now over seven years in the making.
The 2019-2021 Project Request Report compiled the reasons for a new Baker Hall from previous data on the building. A Facilities Condition Survey from 2015 cites obvious general deterioration, a lack of adequate maintenance and poor to average construction. It concludes that the building’s life expectancy is less than five years.
It is not the only survey with poor results. The 2017 Baker Hall Seismic Report states that the building would perform poorly in a major earthquake, with potential for partial building collapse.
“We’re at the point with these buildings where they have exceeded their useful life,” said Associate Vice President of Campus Operations, Erica Dias. “The infrastructure of those buildings has pretty much become obsolete.”
The cause is simple: The buildings are over 60 years old. Monte Cristo Hall, the older of the two, was built in 1958. A replacement has long been overdue.
State funding for Baker Hall’s replacement came through in 2023 from the capital projects budget. It allocated $38.2 million for the design and construction of the replacement hall, but not for the demolition of the old building.
“The building does not satisfy modern safety and health standards,” Dias said. “It can sit vacant until demolition is funded, and meanwhile, students and employees will have access to better spaces for learning and work.”
In the meantime, Monte Cristo Hall will be demolished with funding allocated from the Cascade Learning Resource Center project (CLRC). The demolition is scheduled to take place over the 2024 summer quarter, after the remaining supplies in the building have been removed. Once both buildings are demolished, the new space will be turned into a green space and additional parking for maintenance vehicles.
Now that the Baker Hall Replacement project has gotten its funding, the college will spend five to seven months selecting the construction contractor and the architectural firm. After that the final design and permitting process is set to begin, which is expected to take 12 to 15 months.
“What that means is that construction is expected to begin at the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026,” Dias said.
While still a long way out, plans for the new Baker Hall detail a three-story building located next to the CLRC. The space will mainly include classrooms, but will also feature faculty offices and a black box theater. Some of the programs planned for the new space are accounting, economics, business technology, computer information systems, theater and cosmetology.
Considering everything EvCC plans for the Baker Hall Replacement, student input is more important than ever. As the project moves forward, there will be ways for students to voice their opinions by joining the design committee or attending shareholder meetings.
Once development has progressed far enough for committees to form and meetings to start, Student LIFE will provide information about how students can get involved.
“The college wants to hear students’ ideas about all new construction projects,” Dias said. “Students are always part of and should always be a part of the design process.”
