Partial demolition of Heritage Hall began last week at Mid-Atlantic Christian University.
“This is a delicate removal of the second floor to review if the first floor is salvageable,” MACU reported on its website. “Current expectation from the insurance company is to rebuild the middle section of Heritage Hall and try to salvage the end sections and first floor of the building.”
Leaders at the Elizabeth City, N.C., school say they are concerned weather may have caused further damage to the building in the three-plus months since the roof’s collapse. Discussions with the insurance company and consultants are ongoing.
Heritage Hall—MACU’S main classroom building—partially collapsed on Saturday, Sept. 5, as roofing work commenced. The weight and distribution of replacement shingles may have contributed to the collapse. The roof fell into MACU’s three largest classrooms; fortunately the incident occurred when those rooms were empty. No one was injured. Heritage Hall has been closed since the collapse.
Due to the time it is taking to replace or restore Heritage Hall, MACU has decided to move forward with a “loss of operation” plan to add classrooms or a cafeteria to campus.
On Dec. 8, “Old Presley”—a building that has been part of campus since 1960—was demolished in a training exercise/controlled burn conducted by the Elizabeth City Fire Department. MACU plans to build a 7,000-square-foot building on that site to help meet immediate needs. A capital campaign is being planned.
In the interim, MACU is making use of all available space—including lobbies and extra rooms—for classes and offices. The cafeteria has temporarily relocated to the Pearl A. Presley Building lobby (with food being prepared offsite).
In its update, MACU reported that—due to the collapse and COVID-19—enrollment is expected to decline from 160 this fall to a “historically low” level of 120 students in the spring.
Author: Christian Standard
Contact us at **@********************ia.com
