Reprinted by permission of The Greenville Advocate
August 28, 2007

Concerns about the structural safety of Hogue Hall on the Greenville College campus is leading to plans to continue a structural evaluation and plan for remodeling.

While remodeling work was being conducted this summer to the lower east end of Hogue Hall, significant cracks were found in one of the main timbers that support the internal masonry wall in the eastern-most wing of Hogue Hall.

The east and west wings of the four-story building contain four offices on each of the upper three floors.

President Mannoia said it is impossible to know how long this situation has existed, possibly for many years. The college took immediate steps to reinforce the main timber, halted further remodeling, and sought the assistance of both a structural engineer and an architectural first specializing in restoration of old buildings.

Last Thursday, initial inspection reports indicated serious concerns not only about the east wing, but also about the structural integrity of the entire building, according to Mannoia. Since access to the west wing had not been as complete as to the east wing, the college agreed to further open that end up for more thorough inspection.

The president said that is now being done and updates are being received daily. He added that a second written report is due in a few days from the first engineer, and the college will also receive an additional report from a second engineer in the near future.

"Since safety is our concern, we have taken the following steps," Mannoia reported.

East Wing – A plan has been put together for relocating employees on the east wing of the building. This includes moving classes from the four classrooms on the third floor. While the classrooms are not themselves in the east wing of the building, they can be used for relocating faculty into the inner core of the building.

West Wing – A plan for relocating individuals in the west wing has also been developed. This will probably occur as soon as the engineer officially confirms early indications that the same circumstances exist on this end as on the east wing.

Inner Core – Initial reports are that while the entire building has structural problems, the ones in the central core are not urgent. This is because the inner core is divided into smaller units and has masonry support all the way to the ground, instead of resting on suspended timbers as in the end wings.

The college has asked the architect to draft a plan for a phased long-term solution to the building problems. "We realize that Hogue Hall is a priceless centerpiece to our campus and would one day require attention," said President Mannoia.

"These circumstances are forcing us to consider that such a time may have come now. Once we see the costs of the phases, we will certainly seek funds to do it all at once, but given the cost of a complete remodeling, and the enormous disruption that would occur, it’s more likely it will be done in phases.

"We expect to receive this proposal within the next month or so."

College officials are beginning to identify possible donors for help, as soon as the projected costs for the various phases are known. "Obviously, the entire cost could be considerable, and the time required to complete it lengthy," according to Mannoia.

Since early indications are that the inner core will not need to be vacated, the moves listed earlier may be sufficient for now. Mannoia advised that if the information changes, temporary building could be obtained. The college has already contacted constructors of temporary building to bid on the cost of erecting the kind of structures often found on public school and college campuses during times of construction and remodeling.

These building could be located on one or more of the existing empty spaces on the G.C. campus. They could contain classrooms or offices, either for faculty or even entire departments such as records or business.

Whether and when these temporary buildings will be necessary will unfold as the college gathers more information from the engineer and architects over the next few weeks.

The chairman of Greenville College Board of Trustees, Craig Tidball, has been contacted about the situation. He has agreed to the creation of a board task force which will address the issue immediately.

Some members of the task force would be local with government connections, in hope of finding financial help to remodel Hogue Hall, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other on the task force would include one or more who are familiar with construction issues. The group is expected to meet with the architects, the engineer and master planners by mid-September.

President Mannoia concluded, "Understandably, these are difficult judgments to make about a structure that has stood for 150 years, but we want to err on the side of safety."